Puppets and Bombs
by WildWolfMoon
Summary: It was just the way things were, with everyone hating him and his puppets. Sasori knew that, but it hurt him no end.
1. Chapter 1

"Loser!"

"Freak!"

"What kind of BOY makes DOLLS?! That's just weird!"

Sasori bent over, clutching at his stomach. Someone had kneed him, hard, and he couldn't breathe. His lungs were burning...The pieces of a puppet he had been making were scattered all around him, and as Sasori sat there, gasping for air, he saw another person step on a piece of his puppet, smashing it into dozens of pieces.

"Come on. Let's just leave him here; it's not like anyone's gonna notice if he's gone or not." Cruel laughter erupted from the group as they walked away, slapping each other on the back. They had cornered Sasori at lunch, and dragged him outside to a alleyway. Once they were hidden in the dark, they had proceeded to beat the shit out of the red head.

Sasori fell to his side, listening to the sound of footsteps as they faded away. They were gone. Sasori sat up slowly; he was bruised pretty badly. His ribcage hurt; someone had kicked him there. It was probably bruised.

He smiled bitterly as he pulled to a standing position. This was how it always was. He was a freak because he carved puppets, he was weird because he was anti-social, and he was a loser because that was the role he had been forced into by his peers. It never changed, and never would.

Sasori limped slowly back to the high school doors, using the railing to pull himself up the steps. His left leg was sore, and it hurt to put any weight on it at all. Stupid punks...beating him up like that...

Sasori leaned heavily against the school door, using his weight to open it. He slowly stumbled down the hallway. Everyone was still at lunch, the halls quiet and deserted. The red head stopped and leaned against a wall, sliding his back down until he was sitting on the floor, legs drawn up to his chest, closing his eyes to enjoy the silence.

"DEI-CHAN!" Sasori's eye flew open again, frowning at the noise. There was a boy, standing not five feet away from, looking down the hallway, vivid blue eyes narrowed. His hair was long, and partly tied back into a ponytail. He wore loose clothing, and his jeans had many pockets on the legs. He was beautiful. As Sasori watched, a girl came flying at the boy, hugging him. The boy a step back, trying to keep his balance.

"Dei-chan, can you make me a bomb, please?" the girl begged, looking up at the boy's face, arms still wrapped around his neck.

"What do you need it for, un?" the blonde asked, trying to free himself for the girl's grip.

"I want to blow up somebody's locker." the girl explain, withdrawing her arms and smiling flirtatiously.

"Alright. Here you go, un." The blonde reached into one of his many pockets and drew out a small figure, which he handed to the girl, who took it, grinning.

"Thanks, Dei-chan!" the girl glomped him one last time, before dashing away down the hall, clutching the bomb close to her heart. The blonde stretched, yawning. Sasori watched him quietly; he hadn't been noticed yet.

"Deidara!" The blonde glanced up again at the name. Sasori made a mental note of it. Deidara...kinda weird name, but pretty...

"Itachi, un!" Deidara waved his hand at someone, who came into Sasori's vision a second later. A small kid, with long black hair and strange marks underneath his eyes. The boy; Itachi, he seemed to be called, ran up to the blonde and hit him gently on the shoulder.

"You gave another bomb away? What's it for?"

"Yeah, I gave one to Hoshi. She wanted to blow up someone's locker, un."

"You have a ton of fangirls. Isn't Hoshi the leader of the "I-Love-Dei-Chan" club?"

"Shut up, un."

"Just stating the obvious," replied Itachi, grinning wickedly at his friend.

"Hmm?"

"What is it, Dei?"

"Who is that kid, un?" The blonde asked, pointing at Sasori.

Sasori's eyes widened as both boys looked at him.

"That's just that loser Sasori Akasuna," Itachi said bluntly, pulling on Deidara's sleeve. "Come on, let's go. Kisame needs our help with something. And Hidan wants another bomb. Something to please Jashin with, he said. I'm not gonna ask what he wants to do with it."

"Alright...I'm coming, un...." Deidara allowed himself to pulled away, but he still looked over his shoulder, back at Sasori.

Sasori watched them go, his heart heavy. A loser...just because of his puppets? It wasn't fair....

Sasori shut his eyes again, and leaned his head back against the wall again. Feeling sorry for himself wouldn't get him anywhere...he knew that much.

Sasori sat in the hallway until he heard the bell ring, and slowly stood up again. Time for class, more insults whispered by people thinking he wasn't listening....it never ended.

He stopped outside of his locker, and pulled out his key, sticking it into his lock, and pulled open the locker, grabbing his books for his next class and slammed the door shut again. He headed to his classroom, favoring his injured leg.

That blonde boy in the hallway...Deidara... he didn't even know Sasori, but that Itachi kid would make him hate the red head.

That was what always happened, and Sasori didn't even bother getting upset most of the time. But in this case, he felt sad....sad that he didn't even know the kid and yet, he would hate him.

It was just the way things were, with everyone hating him and his puppets. Sasori knew that, but it hurt him no end.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** My sister wanted this. She wanted Sasori to be the one picked on in this, because she was upset everyone targets Dei for that.

This was gonna be a one shot, but I think if I make it longer it'll be better.

Please tell me what you think of this. I need some feedback on my writing.


	2. Chapter 2

After school, Sasori walked home slowly. His body was sore, and moving was tiring and a strain. Those bastards had done a number on him this time, normally he just got a few punches, maybe a bruise, but now...

He shook his head, trying to dislodge his unhappy thoughts. It wasn't like they were going to help him any...it was best not to dwell on that kind of stuff, but Sasori couldn't help it. It was hurting him. It twisted him, to hardly ever be called by his given name; to be insulted all the time. Sasori sighed, closing his eyes as he continued slowly home.

Home...if he could even call it that.

Sasori turned into a trailer park, listening to the sounds of drunken laugher and shrill squeals coming from a nearby beaten up trailer. The metal siding was ripped, the paint cracked and peeling. Sasori rolled his eyes as he passed it, the squeals still coming, louder than ever. Many of the mobile homes here were in this same state, the park itself inhabited by whores and drunkards.

Sasori lived by himself, in a small trailer located at the far reaches of the park. Everyone in his family was dead or missing. His father had run off before Sasori was born, his mother had blown nearly all of the money of expensive jewelry and fur coats. She died from drinking the year before Sasori had graduated middle school, her finery sold to pay her debts and for her funeral. Sasori was left a few thousand, choosing to live in a trailer park and setting away much of the money for collage.

Sasori sighed, opening his creaking screen door and dropping his bag on the chipped kitchen tile floor. So his life wasn't perfect. What could he do about it? Not much.

Sasori strode out of the tiny kitchen and down the cramped hallway, heading for his room. His door creaked quietly as he opened it; and Sasori smiled for the first time that day as the familiar scent of wood and paint hit his nose. Puppets crowed much of the room; sitting on shelves, some lounging on a small table the red head had dragged in from the dump, some even on the floor.

Sasori bent and picked up one, turning the puppet over in his hands, admiring it, then placed it back down before rising and walking over to his bed. He sat down slowly, and looked around his room, taking in the large amount of puppets.

He knew he should go find more wood to start carving again; those punks had broken his most recent project and it had been using the last piece of wood the red head had. His hands itched to carve, and Sasori knew that he wouldn't get anything else done until he found some new materials.

He rose to his feet again; the bedsprings creaking as he stood. Sasori rubbed his hands over his tired eyes, and lightly slapped himself, trying to wake up somewhat, before slowly walking to the door. He would visit the dump first; it was amazing what some people threw away.

* * *

Sasori limped down the street, carrying a small cloth bag in one hand. Someone had thrown out high quality wood; and a lot of it, so much that Sasori couldn't carry all of it. He had gotten lucky today. Sasori allowed himself to smile as he continued walking. He began thinking of what to carve with all this wood. Maybe he should copy the one the punks had broken? Or maybe he should....

CRASH

"OW!"

"UN!"

Sasori fell back onto the ground, dropping his bag, and rubbed the back of his head with his hand, before glaring at the person he had crashed into. His eyes widened. Deidara sat on the ground in front of him, rubbing his forehead and muttering under his breath, eyes tightly shut.

"I'm sorry!" Sasori leapt to his feet and backed away. The blonde glanced up at him, and hauled himself to his feet. "It's fine, un," he said happily, smiling at Sasori.

Sasori blinked. Most people got furious if Sasori just bumped into them; like they were afraid that if he touched them they would become losers as well. And here was someone, smiling, even after Sasori had knocked him to the ground. Deidara bent over and picked up the red head's bag, before walking over and handing it to him. "Here, un."

"Thanks," Sasori said quietly as he took the bag from the blonde. Deidara smiled at him. "Sorry about Itachi at lunch, un. I don't know what issues he had, but he was kinda mean to you, un."

"No, he's right," Sasori told the blonde, backing away again. Couldn't this dumb blonde see that Sasori really was a loser, a freak, like everyone said? "I am just a loser. And I'm used to it." Deidara's smile faded and he frowned at Sasori, his forehead furrowing as he spoke. "Why're you a loser, un?" he inquired.

"I don't know!" Sasori snapped back, feeling his anger flare up. It was just they way things were; didn't this just see it that way? Sasori had accepted being a loser a long time ago. "I just am, and I want to go home now." With that, Sasori turned on his heel and strode briskly away, breaking into a jog after a few yards. Deidara watched him go, before continuing along in the opposite direction.

* * *

Sasori leaned heavily against his bedroom door, dropping the bag of wood he had collected on the floor. His leg was hurting again, and it was a pain to move. That kid...Deidara...he had it really good. He was popular, cute and probably rich.

He couldn't relate to poor, uncool Sasori Akasuna. And Sasori had learned a long time ago that it didn't pay to have people close to you. They would only use you, and hurt you. Sasori didn't need anymore pain, he already had enough.

Sasori groaned, and pulled himself up again. He walked to his bed and collapsed face first upon it. That Deidara really must be a true blonde, to listen to his friend and then still be nice to Sasori, even after the red head had crashed into him. Or maybe he just wanted something Sasori could do. Maybe the kid was just dumb.

Tch. Sasori closed his eyes. There wasn't anything Sasori could really do. Everyone else had forced him into his role of an outcast, and he couldn't break free of playing that role. He acted like he didn't care, but still....it was upsetting, demeaning, degrading to have no one who likes you and talks to you.

Sasori mentally scolded himself. His life may suck; yes, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. That was just the way things were. People didn't change, and there was no reason Sasori's life would ever have anything good in it. That was just how it went.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** Thanks to people stealing my laptop for their own evil ideas, this is up later than I wanted it to be.

Just to clarify, there's nothing really wrong with Sasori. He's just one of those kids that no one likes, and is forced into playing an outcast role by their peers.

I'll try and finish with pt. 3 soon, but if people keep taking my laptop it could take a while.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sasori, will you come with us, please?" Sasori looked up from his lunch to face a small group of teenagers, the ones who had beaten him a few days earlier. Their faces betrayed flashes of smiles, their eyes alight with evil intentions.

"No." Sasori turned back to his food. A heavy hand came down on his thin shoulder, squeezing tightly. Sasori tried hard not to wince or cry out. Dammit, these guys were strong... "Look, Akasuna, you have no friends, no social status, and no one who cares about you. Now come with us before we make you, and you won't like how we make you," one of the teens hissed in his ear.

Sasori sighed and stood up. Might as well get the beating over with. They were right; he didn't have any friends and no one gave a damn what happened to him. The group surrounded Sasori to make sure he didn't bolt, and began walking to the school doors.

They took Sasori about a half mile away from the school, before turning into a cramped, dark alleyway. Sasori closed his eyes and sighed. The teens spread out in a circle around him. Sasori kept his eyes closed, waiting. Then a fist slammed into the back of Sasori's head, sending him sprawling on the ground. People began kicking at him, their feet meeting with his stomach, legs, back...Sasori took it all quietly, not making a sound. He was used to this kind of rough treatment, it was no different than what they usually did to him.

Someone lifted Sasori up by his collar, and slapped him. Sasori kept his eyes closed as who ever it was continued to slap his face, over and over again. Blood was dripping out of Sasori's mouth by now, and his cheeks were numb from the force of the blows.

Sasori didn't care, he hoped they were nearly done and would just leave him alone. They dropped him back to the ground, and were just starting to kick him again...Sasori curled himself up into a tighter ball...when were they going to be done...?

"HEY! STOP THAT, UN!" Sasori cracked open his eyes in time to see Deidara slam his fist into someone's face, sending them flying. The blonde quickly disposed of the rest of the punks, then walked over to Sasori. He kneeled beside the red head and helped him to a sitting position. "W...what are you doing here?" Sasori asked weakly, wiping the blood from his face. His body hurt so much...it hadn't hurt like this in a long time. The teens had gone hard on him today.

"I saw them talking to you at lunch, and then you go with them, un. I wanted to see what they were gonna do, so I followed them. Why were they beating you up like that, un?" Deidara asked, producing a cloth and handing it to Sasori.

"T...they all hate me. They do this... every few days. I'm used to it by now, but thanks for... stopping them," Sasori whispered. His eyes were closing. Talking was hurting him, tearing at his throat. There was more damage than usual this time, and Sasori couldn't handle all the pain....it hurt so much...

"Hey, un? Sasori? Are you alright, un?" Deidara asked, shaking him gently. Sasori shut his eyes. Blackness surrounded him, and he couldn't move, couldn't talk....

"Sasori? Hey, come on, wake up, un!" Sasori didn't respond, and the blonde decided he must have passed out.

Deidara sighed, and adjusted his position, trying to get a better grip on Sasori's limp body. "Oh, crap, un. How do I get him back to school? And what am I gonna do with all of these people, un?"

* * *

It was soft and warm, and quiet. Sasori opened his eyes, squinting against the bright light. He was lying on a bed in the nurse's office, bandages covering his body. His head was pounding. Sasori groaned and pressed one hand to his head.

'Ah! You're awake, un!" Sasori froze. Deidara was sitting on a chair next to the bed, smiling widely. "What happened?" Sasori whispered, his voice rough and harsh. Dammit, his throat hurt so much... "You passed out, and I brought you back here, un. I left everyone else in that alley. They'll wake up soon enough, un."

Sasori gave the blonde a weak smile. Deidara smiled back, but his eyes were confused. "Sasori, why do so many people dislike you, un?" He asked. Sasori's eyes widened. "I...I don't know," he finally said. "They...just do."

Deidara frowned at him, then stood up. "I'm late for class, un. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." With that, the blonde turned and walked away. Sasori watched him go, then shut his eyes again.

Deidara had saved him, and brought him back to the school. No one had ever helped Sasori before. He was always left to defend for himself, to try and figure out how to get through a problem on his own.

Sasori smiled slightly. How many people would do that? How many people would help someone that their friend had said was a loser? How many people would help someone who everyone hated, and beat up, and rejected?

Deidara was kinda a weird kid. But he was nice, to help a total stranger like that.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** This is kinda short, yes, I do know that.

But I think I managed to convey that Deidara's keeping an eye on Sasori, and is willing to help him.

Give me feedback on this part, please. I want to know what you think of it!


	4. Chapter 4

Sasori looked left and then right down the empty, silent hallways. He had stayed in the nurse's office all day, relived to be free from going to class. His body was exhausted, and he could only take a few steps without wincing.

Damn those bastards to hell, why did they feel the need to do this? They had also ripped up his shirt; it had a huge hole across his torso now. Sasori cursed under his breath as he made his way slowly to the school doors.

He sighed as he pulled the door open. His arms hurt like all hell; the kids who had done this had kicked him everywhere they could, and his arms had recived many of the firce kicks. Those stupid kids were stronger than they looked; Sasori had thought he knew the extent of their strenght since they beat him up every chance they got.

The door creaked open, and Sasori blinked hard at the bright sunlight flooding his vision. The sweet fall air smell reasurring and comforting; a mixture of dried leaves and the vague promise of rainfall that night. Sasori smiled as he walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.

"Sasori!" Sasori blinked, and looked down the steps. Deidara was sitting on the bottom, waving at him with one hand, shielding his eyes from the sun with the other. Sasori's eyes widened. Why was Deidara still here? Had he been waiting for Sasori to leave?

Deidara jumped to his feet and dashed up the steps. He smiled at Sasori, his bright blue eyes shining. "Why are you here?" Sasori said bluntly, making his way slowly down the steps of the high school. Deidara fell in step besides him. "I wanted to make sure those punks didn't try to beat you up again, un," he explained happily to the red head. "And were they waiting for me?" Sasori asked curiously.

"Yep!" Deidara turned to him, still smiling. "But I took care of them, so don't worry, un." Sasori eyes widened in shock. This small, rather weak looking, femine blondie had managed to beat up people that had been tormenting the red head since high school had started. "How...how do you know how to fight so well?" he stammered.

Deidara turned to him, smile growing wider. "I like martial arts, un. Plus I also used a few bombs on them." Sasori blinked, and then smiled. He liked this kids style; to use bombs to frighten people. Deidara noticed the smile, and his eyes grew brighter. "Anyway, I don't think they'll come after you for a few days, un," Deidara said, facing forward again, hair covering his face so Sasori couldn't read his expression, although his voice was happy enough.

"I guess I owe you then," Sasori muttered quietly, looking away as well as they started down the sidewalk. "You don't have to repay me, un."

Sasori shook his head. "No, I'd feel guilty if I didn't at least---OW!" Sasori's leg collapsed on him, and the red head fell to the sidewalk. Deidara spun around and sat by him, eyes on Sasori. "Can you walk, un?" he asked, placing his hand on the red head's shoulder.

Sasori tried to pull himself up, but his leg couldn't bear his weight, collapsing to the ground again, his body burning with pain. "No, I can't," Sasori said sighed. "I'll help you, un. Here." He reached his arm around Sasori back and waist, before hauling him to feet. Sasori hestiated for a second, then slowly placed his arm around the blonde's shoulder. Deidara set off slowly, Sasori putting as much weight on the blonde as he could.

"You're really light, un," Deidara commented. Sasori rolled his eyes. He didn't eat a lot; he needed what little money he had, and spending it on food just seemed like a waste to the Akasuna. "Thanks, blondie. I know I'm underweight. I can't do much about that," Sasori said bitterly. "I was just saying, un. I didn't mean anything by it."

Sasori shot a glance at the blonde. He was griping Sasori's arm and waist, his eyes staring straight ahead, still smiling."It's kinda good that you weigh so little, or I'd be having a harder time with this,un," Deidara continued. "Oh really?" Sasori was slightly annoyed by now. This was irriating. So what if he was thin? "And it's also good that you're shorter than me, un." Sasori flinched. He hated being reminded about how short he was. It was so...demeaning.

"Gee, thanks," he muttered, looking down at the sidewalk. Deidara looked over, and saw how pissed Sasori was. He smiled to himself, and looked away again, shaking his head. Sasori was interesting, to say the least.

They continued along silence for a while; with Sasori pointing where to go every now and then. The wind was picking up, the air chilling noticably. When they were close to the trailer park, Sasori slid his arm off Deidara's shoulder, and the blonde released his waist. "I can manage from here," Sasori said quietly, not looking at Deidara. "Thanks for your help, Deidara. I wouldn't have gotten this far on my own."

Deidara looked at him, not smiling. "Are you sure that you'll be fine, un?" he asked, sounding...worried. "Yeah." Sasori turned around and began walking away from the blonde, limping as he walked.

"Sasori!" The red head turned around at his name. "Yes?" he called back. Deidara was watching him, his smile back in place.

"Come eat lunch with me tomorrow, un." Sasori's mouth dropped open in surprise, his red eyes widening. This was the first time someone had ever wanted him to sit with him. Sasori smiled. Was this what it was like to have friends? "Thanks, Deidara," he called back.

Deidara gave him another cheery smile before he turned and began walking away. Sasori watched him go, feeling better than he had in a long time.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** Don't ask me why this part is like it is. I get hurt a lot, and it is extremly annoying when my legs give out, like Sasori's did in this. Especially if you are standing on concrete. Concrete hurts to fall on.

Anyway, read and comment. I'm gonna go do something stupid now.


	5. Chapter 5

Sasori shut the door to his trailer, and pulled out his key, locking the door shut. The air smelled sweet and clean; it had rained the night previously. The sky was still cloudy, and there was a definite nip to the air by now. Sasori shivered as he limped he way out of the trailer park. His only jacket was thin and worn, the air could blow right through it.

Sasori walked down the quiet street running between the numerous trailers, listening to the soft crackling of the dried autumn leaves beneath his feet. The air was crisp and cool, and Sasori smiled as he walked along, shutting his eyes to enjoy the peaceful beauty of the morning.

He had little fear of getting attacked on the way to school; thanks to Deidara, he had been spared a second beating yesterday. It was infuriating to Sasori that Deidara could harm people Sasori had been trying to deal with for over a year. It just reminded Sasori how weak he was, and how he couldn't solve any of his bullying problems on his own.

Sasori shook his head. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for Deidara's help, but ... he just wished that he could fight half as well as the blonde could. Then maybe he wouldn't have gotten to where he was now; injured nearly every day, everyone hating him...

It was stupid, to be so weak. But Sasori was almost glad that Deidara felt the need to help him. It was nice to know that someone, even if he hardly knew them, was willing to try and protect him.

Sasori was nearing the school now, and he could see the group that usually tormented him standing on the steps by the doors. Many had bandages on their faces, and a few wore them on their arms. A few had shorter patches of hair, the ends singed, some of their skin burnt; probably thanks to Deidara's bombs. They were all glaring at Sasori, and he felt himself growing nervous as he approached them.

He walked slowly up the steps, not looking at any of the teens sitting there. He had nearly reached the door when someone's arm shot out and grabbed his collar, yanking him back. Sasori clutched at his throat, trying to pry the the fabric away. He couldn't breathe... they were cutting off his airway. "Thanks to your friend yesterday, we never got to finish with you," the person hissed in his ear. Sasori thought his name was Kenshin, but he wasn't sure. Sasori shut his eyes as he felt his body growing weaker...

"HEY!" Someone grabbed the front of Sasori's shirt and pulled him forward. Sasori opened his eyes slowly. Deidara was holding his collar, and glaring at Kenshin. "I told you to leave him alone, un!" Deidara yelled angrily. He let go of Sasori's shirt, and Sasori took a few steps back, messaging his throat and gulping at the cool air. Kenshin glared at the blonde. "Why do you bother with this loser?!" Kenshin demanded.

"Cause I want to. Do you need a reason to help someone, un?" Deidara spat back. Kenshin opened his mouth, and closed it, face turning red. "Thought so," Deidara said smirking, turning to face Sasori, grabbing his arm and dragging him into the school. Sasori looked over his shoulder at Kenshin. The teen was glaring at the two of them, his eyes burning with fury.

Sasori sighed as he turned to face forward again. Deidara was looking dead ahead, his body rigid with anger. "Thanks," Sasori whispered quietly. "It's fine, un," Deidara said sharply.

"DEI-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" a pink blur hurled herself at Deidara from the side, causing him to let go of Sasori' wrist in the process, the blonde crashing to the floor.

"Hoshi, don't do that, un!" Deidara ordered as he sat up, Hoshi's thin arms wrapped around his neck. She was staring longingly at Deidara's face. "Sorry, Dei-chan!" she chirped happily, scrambling to her feet and pulling Deidara up. Deidara frowned as he pulled his hand through his thick blonde hair, trying to straighten it.

"Have you used your bomb yet?" Deidara asked, rubbing the back of his head with his hand, finally managing to smooth most of his hair down. Hoshi grinned at him, flipping her dirty blonde hair over one shoulder. "I put it in Sakura Haruno's locker," she said, laughing. "She insulted you, Dei-chan, and I wanted to pay her back."

"Why thank you, un. Let me guess. You need another bomb, un?" Deidara asked, already pulling out another bomb and turning it over in his thin hand. Hoshi grabbed it, smiling. "Yeah, this one's for Ino Yamanaka. She said Sasuke is cuter than you! She has to pay."

Deidara laughed. "Good luck Hoshi, un." Hoshi hugged him one last time before dashing off again. Sasori watched her go, his eyebrows raised. Deidara turned to him, still smiling. "Hoshi asks for a bomb every other day," Deidara explained, answering Sasori's unasked question.

"Dei! Hey come on, we're late for---Hey, why are you talking to Sasori?!" Itachi had snuck up on the two of them without wither one noticing. "Hey, Itachi, un." Sasori saw this as his chance and tried to slip away while Deidara was absorbed in conversation with the Uchiha.

He managed to get all of three feet before Deidara's arm shot out and grabbed his wrist again. Sasori groaned. "See ya, Itachi, un!" Deidara called over his shoulder as he walked off, still dragging the red head behind him. Sasori stayed quiet as Deidara dragged him through the halls, only letting go once he reached his locker. "See you later, un," he told Sasori, smiling at him.

The red head gave a half hearted smile, before turning to walk to his own locker. At least Deidara had saved him yet again, this time from being strangled. What was with people and their desire to harm Sasori?

The day passed uneventfully, Sasori only having to endure a few whispered comments. Lunch came much faster than he was expecting it to. Lunch came, and Sasori was just placing his books in his locker when Deidara appeared besides him, grabbing his hand again, and barely leaving Sasori enough time to slam his locker shut before he was dragged down the hall again. God dammit, the blonde was so frickin' strong...his grip was tight...

Deidara didn't speak to him until they'd reached the cafeteria. "Deidara, you're killing my wrist!" Sasori managed to get out. He'd been trying to pry Deidara's thin fingers off his wrist for the last few minutes, but to no avail. Deidara just wouldn't let go. "Sorry, un."

They reached a table, and Deidara let go of Sasori. The red head rubbed his wrist, looking over at Deidara's large group of friends warily. His eyes widened when he saw Hidan, who was eating a sandwich dripping with blood, staining the Jashinist's napkin and spreading in a puddle on the table, and talking to a guy with auburn hair and many silver piercings on his face.

Deidara didn't noticed the blood staining the table and sat down, dropping his bag to the table with a loud thump. Sasori hesitated, then slowly sat down next to Deidara.

Deidara began talking to a kid with messy hair and glowing green eyes. Sasori sat silently and studied the table. Hopefully, none of these guys would noticed him, and Sasori would be able to keep breathing.

"Deidara? Why is Sasori Akasuna here?" Sasori looked up to see a teen with rather....unusual skin coloring pointing at him. Everyone's eyes were on him.

Crap. So much for that hope...

"I asked him to sit here, un," Deidara said huffily, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at them. Everyone stared at him in silence before returning to their separate conversations. Sasori began to feel uncomfortable, and was beginning to think of leaving when Hidan began talking to him.

"So why did that bastard Deidara ask you to fucking sit with us?" The Jashinist asked, cramming the rest of his bloody sandwich into his mouth. Sasori watched with wide eyed as the immortal wiped the red liquid dripping out of his mouth off his face, using his sleeve.

He noticed Sasori's expression and grinned, blood dripping out of his mouth and falling to the table. With his silver hair and pink eyes, Hidan could have passed as a vampire.

"Well, bastard?" Hidan asked, picking up an apple and biting into it, pink eyes focused upon Sasori.

Sasori started. 'Oh, um...well, I dunno," he muttered, looking back at the table. "Whatever, bastard." Hidan merely rolled his eyes and turned his attention to destroying his fruit.

The lunch bell rang, and Sasori nearly dashed for the door, having learned one very useful thing: Deidara had some very strange friends.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** I felt like Sasori-san needed to get to know Dei's friends better. Do not ask me why Hidan's sandwich is dripping blood.

Anyway, enjoy this part.

Please comment and tell me what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

As time went on, Sasori fell into a routine for school days. He would get up, walk to school, not limping anymore as his body healed, thanks to Deidara's help. He would get cornered by someone when he neared the building, then Deidara would show up and usually convince the person they would not like what happened if they hurt the red head, usually causing the person to run in the opposite direction, screaming bloody murder. This was nearly always entertaining, especially when that person was Kenshin.

Deidara would drag Sasori behind him into the school, and nearly always be attacked by Hoshi, who seemed determined to fly, seeing how fast she dashed down the hall when she saw her Dei-chan. Sasori would get dragged to Deidara's table at lunch, and he could never convince the blonde to let him go and sit on his own. Deidara explained that if he did that, Kenshin would just come and take him outside for another one of his "talks." That was usually enough to get Sasori to shut up.

As much as Sasori hated to admit it, he was glad that Deidara liked him enough to actually talk to him, not mention drag him everywhere at school and protect him. Sasori wished that he could defend himself, though.

Deidara was amazing. He had no fear, it seemed, and took down people that had beaten up Sasori for years, leaving many scars and injures, like Kenshin. He was well liked as well, and if someone insulted him, it usually led to a bomb in their locker, courtesy of the "I-Love-Dei-Chan" club.

Sasori thought about this as Deidara dragged him down the hall, having saved him yet again from an attack, this one by a kid named Naoki, another one of Kenshin's cronies. It had taken Deidara all of three minutes to "talk" to him, and Naoki had dashed off as fast as he could. Sasori wondered why Deidara was helping him. He hardly knew the red head, yet he stepped in and defended him, stopped people from hurting him.

Deidara let go once he was by Sasori's locker, than vanished into thin air as he always did. Sasori sighed, rubbed his tired wrist, and opened his locker, trying to find his science books in the dim lighting. Finally finding them, he stood up and shut his locker, before starting down the hallway.

Absorbed in his thoughts, the red head paid little attention to what was happening, and had no chance to do anything when and arm shot out from an empty class room and dragged him in, covering his mouth so he couldn't yell. "Time for payback," Kenshin hissed in his ear, dragging Sasori over to the window. He opened it and handed Sasori out to his friends, who were standing in a small group, looking around warily for Deidara, before sitting Sasori on his feet and Naoki clapped his hand back over Sasori's mouth.

Kenshin climbed out of the building, and the group set off the campus, making sure Sasori wasn't visible from the sides. They also walked farther away from the building than they usually did, leaving the red head with plenty of time to think about his situation. Kenshin and his gang had been denied their favorite thing to do (aka, beat the shit out of Sasori) for a few weeks, so who knew what was going to happen today.

When they were a good distance away from the school, and from where Deidara could have noticed anything, they pulled Sasori into a deserted courtyard, spreading out in a circle around him, cracking their knuckles and grinning. Sasori didn't show how nervous he really was, and kept his face as blank as possible, looking dead ahead.

"Alrighty now," Kenshin said, grinning at Sasori. "Time for payback for what your friend did."

Sasori shut his eye, and prayed it would be over with soon.

* * *

"Hey, Itachi, have you seen Sasori, un?" Deidara asked his friend, looking left and right down the halls They were standing by Itachi's locker, Itachi putting away his books from his math class; Deidara had just appeared there, looking rather worried.

"No, I haven't. Why do even bother with him, Dei? " Itachi asked, standing up and slamming the locker shut, twisting his combination lock.

"Cause he's nice, and he needs help, un," Deidara stated matter-of-factly. "Thanks anyway, Itachi. Tell the others I'm not coming to lunch today."

"Sure...wait, what?" Itachi looked up to ask his blonde friend why not, only to see that Deidara had disappeared yet again. "He needs to stop doing that."

* * *

Sasori couldn't move his body. He was sprawled out across the pavement, blood trickling from numerous wounds. Breathing hurt, more than it ever had, and Sasori was having a difficult time staying conscious. Kenshin gave one last kick in the stomach, before turning back to his friends. "Come on, let's just leave him here. Deidara's not gonna find him, we're perfectly safe." They walked away, leaving Sasori on the ground, his blood forming a puddle around him. He shut his eyes, his breathing tearing at his throat....dammit, it hurt so much...

"Sasori! Where are you, un?!" Sasori's eyes flew open, and he lifted his head a fraction of an inch. Deidara. He couldn't talk, couldn't move...how was Deidara gonna find him, with nothing able to work in his body?

Deidara walked past the entryway to the courtyard, then backtracked, facing into it. His blue eyes grew wide when he saw Sasori lying on the ground, unable to move, blood forming a puddle around him. "Sasori!" he ran up to the red head and kneeled besides him.

His eyes took in the extent of the damage and grew even wider, taking in a sharp breath. Sasori's breathing was rough and uneven, blood pouring from many different wounds. "Deidara..." Sasori whispered, trying to get the blonde's attention. Deidara lifted him up to a sitting position, leaning him against the blonde's body for support.

"I'm sorry..." Sasori whispered as his eyes closed. Deidara noticed how weak he was, and frowned, feeling something inside him begin to hurt. He had to get Sasori help, and soon, or who knew what would happen to the red head, lying so still and quiet in his arms.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** I figured Sasori needed to get beaten up again, and Deidara feels kinda guilty right now, because he wasn't able to help him this time.

And enjoy and comment, please.


	7. Chapter 7

"HOLY SHT! Deidara, what happened to him?!" Itachi yelled, black eyes wide as he stared at his friend. Deidara had managed to pick up Sasori bridal style, and had carried him back to school, blood forming a trail behind him. Sasori was pale as death, his breathing shallow and harsh. His clothes were ripped and stained crimson with blood. Deidara's clothes were stained with Sasori's blood as well, his bright blue eyes concerned and scared, although he looked calm enough.

"I'll tell you later, un. We need to get him help first," Deidara said quickly, brushing by his friend, walking into the school, Itachi just behind him. People turned to look what all the commotion was about and gasped when they saw Sasori and Deidara.

Sasori coughed weakly, still unconscious, and more blood dripped down his chin, splattering across the floor. Teens jumped back, as though even touching Sasori's blood would do something awful to their social status. The blonde resisted to urge to roll his eyes. These people were more concerned about themselves than someone who was quite possibly dying. And it was only thanks to them Sasori was in this state in the first place...

Deidara looked down at the red head, whose breathing was growing worse. Deidara walked as fast as he could to the principals office; Sasori's wounds were too server for the school nurse to deal with; he had to get professional help. The door was open, and Deidara walked through it, Sasori's blood dripping onto the carpet steadily. How much blood had the Akasuna already lost? How much more could he afford to lose?

Itachi muttered something about being late for class and took off before Deidara could stop him. Oh well. It wasn't like he needed the weasel anyway. The principals secretary looked up at the noise from her paperwork, her eyes showing how annoyed she was at the interruption. Her eyes took in Sasori's limp body, dripping with blood, and Deidara holding him.

"Hello, un."

"HOLY FUCKING HELL! TSUNADE!" The secretary jumped to her feet, her chair crashing to the ground, eyes wide. Her papers she had been working on slid off her desk, landing softly on the floor, some falling into the small puddle of blood that was already forming. Ms. Tsunade, the principal of Konoha High, leaned her head out of her office, her hair mussed and brown eyes irritated and tired.

"Shizune, what the hell is going on out here, because so help me if I---OH MY GOD, WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?!" Tsunade ran out of her office, eyes widening as she took in the extent of Sasori's wounds. "Come with me," she ordered, striding back to her office. Deidara followed her, trying to get a better grip on Sasori. Dammit, he was hard to carry...

"Here, lay him on this," Tsunade said, motioning Deidara over and pointing to a blanket she had laid out of the floor. Deidara gently lowered Sasori to the floor, then sat back on his heels, wiping the blood off his hands off onto the edges of the blanket. Tsunade quickly looked the red head over, then stood up, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket.

"He has to go to the hospital," she muttered, her forehead furrowing as she dialed. Deidara watched Sasori. His friend was growing even paler, if that was possible. Deidara reached out one hand and wiped off the blood still trickling down his chin, not listening to Tsunade as she demanded an ambulance be sent to her school.

A sharp noise startled the blonde, and he looked up, withdrawing his hand. Tsunade had snapped her phone shut and was rubbing at her face tiredly. "A ambulance will be here in a few minutes," she said quietly, looking down at Deidara. The blonde gave her a weak smile, which the principal returned after a moment.

"How did this happen?" Tsunade asked, moving to sit behind her desk. Deidara stood, pulling out one of the chairs in front of the desk and sitting down. "I think it was Kenshin Meadin and his gang, un," Deidara began. "He hates Sasori for some weird reason, and tries to beat up on him every chance he gets. I've been trying to help him, un. But today, they just grabbed him and took him away when I wasn't there, un. I found him like this, lying in a courtyard about a mile from here. Sasori had told me that they do this a lot to him, un." Deidara found that he couldn't say anything more, and looked down.

Why did he feel so guilty about Sasori being injured so badly?

Anger boiled inside of him as he thought of Kenshin. That bastard had no right to take his problems out on Sasori. He had to pay for this, and for all the other years of damage Sasori had hinted at that Kenshin had done to him, psychically and mentally. This wasn't fair to the red head; he obviously had a lot of issues with his life, but he didn't beat up anybody to fell better about himself. It just wasn't fair...

"I see," Tsunade murmured quietly, so quietly Deidara almost didn't hear it. "All this time, this has been happening to this poor boy, yet I never knew...I'm such a lousy principal. Kenshin will have to be punished for this."

WE—OOO, WE—OOO....

Deidara and Tsunade glanced up. The shrill scream of the ambulance disturbed the peaceful silence. Deidara stood up and walked back to his friend. Sasori....the noise didn't even disturb him. What was going to happen to him now?

Two medics burst into the room, carrying a stretcher between them. They laid it on the ground, and slowly lifted Sasori onto it, then grabbing the handles again. The stood up, nodded to Tsunade and Deidara, and rushed out of the room. Deidara stared after them, feeling something twist painfully inside him. Who knew when he'd see his friend again, awake and happy?

"Deidara, I think you should go home. You need to clean up," Tsunade said quietly. Deidara started, then looked down at his clothing. Sasori's blood had stained his shirt, large parts of it splattered across his jeans. His arms were covered in slowly drying blood, and the smell of death and injury hung around him like a heavy cloud.

"Thanks, Ms. Tsunade, un," Deidara muttered, leaving the office. As he walked down the halls, people stared at him, before whispering behind their hands to each other.

"DEI-CHAN!" Deidara groaned inwardly. Maybe Hoshi wouldn't glomp him, seeing how bloody he was...that hope fell apart as he felt someone hit him from behind, sending him to the floor.

"HOSHI, I TOLD YOU TO STOP DOING THAT, UN!"

"Dei-chan, why are you all bloody?" Hoshi asked, standing up again, her green eyes wide. Deidara grumbled under his breath as he stood up slowly. Dammit, there was even more blood staining the floor now, thanks to Hoshi and her rather violent glomp.

"I'll tell you, but not right now, okay, un? I need to go home now," Deidara told the girl. Hoshi smiled at him once last time. "Okay, Dei-chan! See you tomorrow, un!" With that, she dashed away.

Deidara shook his head as he continued along. Hoshi was so strange...Teens parted to make room for him in the hall, some girls falling to the ground from shock of seeing Deidara so covered in blood as he was.

Deidara pushed open the door, and stood on the steps. Not long ago, he'd been waiting here for Sasori after that first beating the blonde had witnessed. Deidara had stopped countless others since then...but now...his friend could be dying. And Deidara hadn't done anything to prevent it.

Why did this hurt so much, to know that he couldn't protect Sasori? Why was it this painful?

* * *

**Author's Comments:** This took too long to write, mainly cause I'm lazy today.

Dammit, my ankle hurts. Stupid Ana made use do an hour of tumbling today, and I think I may have sprained my ankle. This would be about the fourth time in six months I've done that.

I'm going to go drink Club Soda now, and get an icepack.

Hope you like this part. Don't kill me, Sasori lovers!


	8. Chapter 8

Deidara sat on his bedroom floor, playing with a bit of clay absentmindedly. His long blonde hair was damp and untied, his eyes clouded over as he thought, his room darkening as evening drew near. He had been sent home, and had cleaned all of Sasori's blood off him, then got dressed and began to think of ways to take revenge for his friend against Kenshin.

According to what Sasori had told him, Kenshin had been beating up the red head for years. As far as Deidara knew, this was the first time Sasori had had to go to the hospital, and the first that Tsunade knew about what her students did to the red head. Why did so many people hate Sasori? He was perfectly nice, he was cute, and smart. So why did so many people just beat him up for the fun of it?

Deidara shook his head. He could wonder why so many people hated Sasori later, he needed a good way to pay Kenshin back now.

RING...RING....RING...

"Deidara, honey! Phone for you! It's Itachi!" Deidara's mother called from downstairs. "You have an extension in your room, right?" Deidara sighed and got to his feet, dropping his clay to the floor. He walked to his desk, grabbing the phone that lay on top of it. "Yeah, mom, I got it, un!" he yelled back as he clicked the 'talk' button.

"Hello, un?"

"Alright, spill. What happened to that loser?" Itachi's voice said, broken by the static. Deidara sighed inwardly. What was with Itachi and him calling Sasori a loser?

"How many times do I have to tell you, he's not a loser, Itachi, un! Stop calling him that, or the next bomb I make is going in your locker, un!"

"Okay, okay! I won't call him a loser! Geez. But would you mind telling me why he was bleeding and unconscious?"

"Do I have to, un?"

"Yes, because you told me you would. Now tell me."

Deidara sighed. There was no way around this...

"Fine. Kenshin and his cronies jumped him when I wasn't around, un. I've been stopping their attacks for the last few weeks, and I guess they missed their favorite pass time, un. When I found Sasori, he had already lost a ton of blood and could barely stay awake."

"...That's sick."

"Sasori told me that this has been happening for a while, but I'm guessing this is the first time he's had to go to hospital, thanks to Kenshin, un. Now I'm trying to figure out how to take revenge, because I'm betting Sasori isn't leaving the hospital for a while, un."

"Why not just use one of your bombs on him? But do it in his house or something."

"Are you suggesting arson, un?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Look, I may not like Sasori that much, but I do agree with you that he has to stop beating up on him."

"You're so kind, un."

"Isn't that the truth? See you tomorrow."

"Alright. Bye, un." Deidara pulled the phone away from his ear and hit the 'off' button, setting it back down on his desk. He sat down on the floor again, picking up his clay.

Arson...yeah...he liked that idea.

Deidara smiled as he began molding clay again, sticking a small time bomb, not activating it just yet. He stood up, walked to his bedroom door and clambered down the stairs. He walked to the kitchen, looking for his mother. He found her, chopping up carrots.

"Mom, I'm going out for a while, okay, un?"

"Sure, dear. Just don't stay out too late. I'll leave some dinner for you on the counter," his mother said, turning to him. Her blonde hair was as long as Deidara's, although she liked to wear it in a bun, not a ponytail, her vivid blue eyes sparkling just as brightly as her son's. She held a sharp, silver knife in her left hand, the blade catching the light.

"Okay, mom. I'll be back before midnight, I can promise you that much, un."

"See you later, hon. Have a good time."

The blonde waved at her, before leaving the kitchen and striding across the living.

Deidara grinned wickedly as he walked out the front door into the cool evening air. This was going to be fun.

* * *

BOOM

Explosions interrupted the peace of the night. The darkness was banished by the wild dance of fire as it reached towards the sky, trying to break free of the earth, trying to scrape the heavens.

Flames spilled out of the house, glowing brightly in the darkness. A large crowd of people had gathered, eyes wide at the sight of the Meadin's house alight with fire. Fire fighters sprayed as much water as they could, trying to kill some of the flames, but the house was already damaged beyond repair.

Kenshin and his parents stood to the side, eyes wide as they took in the sight of their burning home. They had just gotten back to an evening out to find their home destroyed, eaten by fire. Deidara grinned from the tree he was hiding, eyes alight with the glow of fire. This was beautiful, true art; the wild dance, the screaming panic...all of it.

"Revenge," he whispered softly, eyes tracing the leaps and twists of the flame "This is for Sasori, un. Learn from this and don't harm him again. Or you'll pay the price, un."

With that, he slowly dropped from the tree, landing softly on his feet. He gave the flames one last look, smiling at the beauty of it, before turning away and vanishing into the night, leaving panic and chaos behind him.

He had taken revenge for Sasori, but this was just paying him back for a few of the things he had done. More would come later.

And maybe next time, Sasori would be here with him, and they could watch the wild dance of the flames together.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** Yay! Arson! And Kenshin has more coming to him.

Read and comment.

I hope you like it!


	9. Chapter 9

Deidara couldn't concentrate on his homework. It had been five days since Sasori had been admitted to the hospital. Five days since he had burned Kenshin's house to the ground. And while the blonde visited Sasori every day, the red head had yet to open his eyes. Sasori had suffered from server blood loss; and his rib was cracked. The doctors had done everything they could. He would heal, if he ever woke up again.

That bastard Kenshin...he made Deidara's boil just to think of him. Sasori could die, and quite possibly might, thanks to what he had done. It wasn't enough that he had destroyed Kenshin's house; the bastard still had to suffer for all the years of torture he had inflected on the red head. What else could he do to him, though...?

Deidara looked over his math homework, chewing on his pencil's eraser as he thought, when his eyes widened and he swore enough to make Hidan proud. He had messed up on the first step of a rather difficult problem, meaning the last twenty minutes of work had been useless. Deidara sighed and stood up, dropping his pencil to the floor. Damn his homework to hell, may it burn in pits of fiery oil.

The blonde sighed to himself as he exited his room. Might as well go visit Sasori. It was only about 5:30; visiting hours weren't over until 7:30.

"Mom and Dad, I'm going out for a while, un," he called out as he clambered down the stairs and walked into the living room. His parents were sitting on the couch, eyes on the TV, watching some romance comedy.

"Are you going to visit your friend?" his mother asked, looking up at his face.

"Yeah. See you later, un," Deidara said, walking to the door and opening, sighing as the cool air washed over him.

"Get back before midnight, and no blowing anything up," his father called as Deidara exited the house.

"Yeah, I know, un." Deidara shut the door behind him, hearing the soft click as it shut. He stood on his porch and admired that peaceful neighborhood for a moment. The evening breeze was cool and refreshing, the last gentle rays of the sun turning the sky red, gold, purple and pink. The last few crickets had started their song, the last songs of the birds still hanging in the air.

Deidara smiled happily. It was beautiful here, and so quiet. He jumped down the steps and set off down the sidewalk, blonde hair whipping his face as he shook his head happily. Life was good; for him a least. He had to help his friend; Sasori needed to appreciate life this much.

* * *

Deidara pulled out the hard hospital chair and sat down heavily on it. Sasori lay on the bed in front of him, machines attached to him to regulate his breathing. He also had an IV drip attached to his arm. His face was pale, and his breathing unsteady, even with the machine.

Deidara's eyes traced over his friend, before he shut them and leaned back in his chair, sighing as he did so. Damn Kenshin to hell and beyond. This was all his fault. If Sasori died...no, Deidara couldn't think of that. But if Sasori died, Deidara would kill Kenshin, rip him limb from limb.

Deidara heard a mumbling noise and opened his eyes. Sasori was shifting under the rough blankets, his mouth set in a frown and his forehead furrow. The blonde's eyes softened, and he stretched out a hand, resting it on Sasori's chest. "Stop moving, Sasori, un."

Sasori mumbled one last time before his breathing evened out again and he stopped shifting around. Deidara blinked, and smiled, withdrawing his hand. Weather it was coincidence or not, Sasori had stopped moving and that was all that mattered.

Deidara sat by his friend until the nurse came around, his thoughts wandering, generally focusing on how to cause more pain for Kenshin.

"Visiting hours are over. I'm afraid you'll have to leave now, miss." Deidara glanced up at her, death etched into his face as his blue eyes bore into her lavender.

"I'm a guy, un," he hissed angerily. The nurse's eyes widened, and she clapped a hand to her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry. It's just you look like a girl...No wait! I'm sorry! It's just that your hair...I mean...I'm sorry!" the nurse turned and dashed from the room. Deidara watched her go, still glaring death.

"I don't think I look like a girl, un," Deidara muttered as he stood up, pushing his hair away from his eyes. He looked down at Sasori, eyes tracing his friends body. "See you tomorrow, un," he whispered, before turning and exited the room, shutting the door behind him.

At least tomorrow was a Saturday. He could spend more time here; and hopefully Sasori would wake up. Time to go home and work on his list of possible painful things to do to Kenshin.

Deidara felt better, though. Just being near Sasori calmed him down and made him happier. But why...

* * *

**Author's Comments:** I am in a crap mood now, thanks to my family.

And I am hating this part. I swear, I am pissed as all hell, and I'm pretty sure I am a failure now.

I'm going to bed. I'm not updating until someone manages to convince me I do not suck at life, cause I sure feel like I do right now.


	10. Chapter 10

On Saturday, Deidara woke up at 8, sunlight flooding his room and the song of birds filling the still air. He laid in his bed for a while, watching the ceiling as his thoughts wandered.

"Deidara! Get out of bed, honey!" his mother called. Deidara sighed and sat up, blankets falling away from his thin frame. "Yeah, yeah...I'm up, mom, un," he grumbled as he stood and stretched, before opening his window to enjoy the cool morning air. He smiled, his eyes half closed as he watched the quiet neighborhood peacefully. The day promised to be cool and beautiful, the sky barely clouded over.

"Deidara! Come on, sweetie! I'm leaving for work soon; I can drop you off at the hospital on my way!"

Deidara sighed and turned away from the window, pushing his tangled hair away from his face. "Yeah, mom, I'll be down in a minute, un," he called towards his doorway. He reached for a pair of jeans draped over the back of his desk chair, and pulled them on over his boxers. He pulled off his thin undershirt, grumbling as he searched for a clean shirt; finally finding one under his bed, a white one with the word "BOOM" written across it, which he pulled over his head. He scanned his desktop, frowning.

"Mom, where's my hairbrush, un?" he yelled finally, having given up on finding it.

"I put it in the bathroom, along with your hair ties."

Deidara sighed as he left his room and walked across the hallway to the bathroom, flipping on the lights as he entered. His hairbrush lay on the spotlessly clean counter, his hair ties wrapped around the handle. Deidara picked it up, and pulled off one of the ties before beginning to brush his hair. He swore softly as the brush caught in tangles and knots. Dammit, why was his hair so thick?

"Deidara, I mean it. Get down here or I'm leaving you!"

"Aright, mom! I'm nearly done, un!" Deidara quickly pulled half his hair into his signature high ponytail and dashed out of the bathroom, dropping his brush in the sink and slamming his hand down on the light switch. He ran down hall, and tripped over a sock lying on the floor, just as he reached the stairwell.

"SHIT, UN!" he yelled as he fell down the stairs, landing at the base on his back, facing upwards, arms spread out on the floor. "Ow..."

"There you are, honey. Grab your shoes, and we can go. I'll give you money for food," his mother said happily as she entered the room. Deidara groaned, and pulled himself up into a sitting position. "That hurt, un..." he grumbled as he stood, rubbing the back of his head in annoyance.

"Come on, sweetie!" Deidara's eyes narrowed as he made another mad dash for the car, stopping only to grab his sneakers. He quickly pulled open the front door, running down the sidewalk to the car, which his mother had gotten into and was impatiently beeping the horn. He pulled open the back seat door and dropped into it, sighing and dropping his shoes to thee floor. Deidara slammed the door, and buckled himself in as his mother pulled away from the house.

"Honestly, sweetie, you're just so slow in the mornings, I don't know what to do with you," his mother said, her voice taking on it's lecturing tone.

Deidara frowned and stuck his tongue out at his mom, which she thankfully didn't notice. He leaned over and began pulling on his sneakers, listening as his mother continued to speak.

"I mean, really, honey. You always have to search for your hairbrush, or your sneakers, or a bomb to give to Hoshi....it never ends. Can't you try and leave a bit faster? It would make things so much easier for me...." Deidara began to zone out, sitting up and turning his gaze out the window, watching the scenery go by. His mother continued to drone on and on, and Deidara went back to his thoughts.

He hoped Sasori would wake up today; school was rather boring without his friend, even with Hidan threatening to sacrifice the science teacher when the man had foolishly proclaimed that there was no god and evolution was what had created humans. Unfortunately, he had said this within Hidan's hearing, causing the teen to almost gut him with a pencil and piece of paper.

Deidara smiled at the memory, but he wished Sasori had been there with him. Hidan had been suspended from school for a week; meaning it was going to be as boring as hell.

"Dei, have you been listening to me? We're here." Deidara started and looked out the window. They had arrived just in front of the hospital's door.

"Thanks, mom," he said opening the car door and stepping out into the bright sunlight. He blinked hard and began striding towards the building.

"Wait, honey! Take this!" Deidara sighed and turned around, to see his mother's hand offering him a 50 dollar bill. "You'll need food."

Deidara walked back to the car, grabbing the money and leaning over to kiss his mom on the cheek. "Thanks, un."

"No problem, honey. I'll come get you around two, okay?"

"That sounds good. Thanks, mom."

"See you later then." His mother started the car and pulled away, her window closing as she drove off. Deidara watched her go, before turning back to the hospital.

He walked through the automatic door, gasping at the cold air. He shivered briefly as he headed over to the desk.

"I'm here to see Sasori Akasuna," he told the women sitting there. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Very well, sign your name here and you can go on in," she said, passing him a clipboard. Deidara signed his name and handed the clipboard back, before walking down the hall, stopping outside of Sasori's room. He pushed the door open.

Then his eyes widened in shock. Someone else was already there, sitting next to the red head's bed.

It was Kenshin.

* * *

**Author's Comments: **I'm so bad. I left you with a cliffy.

Yes, this part is short. I don't care; I'm just glad I got it up.

I love Deidara's mom..."Or to find a bomb to give to Hoshi..." god, how many moms do that?

Read and comment, please. And do enjoy it.


	11. Chapter 11

"What are you doing here, un?!" Deidara hissed, his clear blue eyes narrowing in anger. Kenshin looked up at him with wide gray-red eyes, shock and surprise painted on his face. Deidara strode over to Kenshin angrily, grabbing his collar and lifting him out of his chair.

"What the hell are you doing here, un?! Thinking of new ways to kill him?!" Deidara hissed, bringing his face close to Kenshin's, his eyes narrowed. Kenshin grasped his hands, trying to pry him off.

"My...my dad sent me to check on him," he choked out. Deidara frowned and his eyes narrowed even more.

"Why the hell does your dad give a shit what happens to Sasori?! Does he know you've been beating up on him for years, un?!"

Kenshin closed his eyes. "It's...I mean...well..."

"Well, what?! Why are you here, un?! Why does your father give a damn about him?!" Deidara yelled, pointing to Sasori lying on the hospital bed.

"Sasori...he...he's my cousin."Kenshin finally whispered, opening his eyes and glaring at Deidara with his red and gray eyes...just like....Sasori's eyes....

Deidara's eyes widened, and he very nearly let go of Kenshin in his shock. "He's your cousin, un?" he asked, not sure he had heard correctly. Sasori couldn't be related to this bastard; there was no way....

"Didn't I just say that?!"

Deidara let go of Kenshin, and the teen feel to the floor, hitting with a soft thump. Deidara stared at him with wide eyes. "If he's your cousin, why do you beat up on him so much, un?"

Kenshin sat up, glaring up at the blonde before he began to speak. Deidara watched him, crossing his arms across his chest.

"My dad and his brother were really close. Then Sasori's dad, Dachi was his name, had a one night stand with Sasori's mom, Rina Akasuna. She got pregnant. Dachi couldn't handle it; he left three months before the baby was due. He didn't tell anyone where he was going, not even my dad. My dad couldn't believe his brother would do that, and refused to have anything to do with Rina after that."

Deidara continued to glare at him. "Why do you feel like you can beat up on him then, un?" he whispered quietly, anger apparent in his voice.

"My dad was always talking about how great his brother was, and I was angry I never got the chance to meet him. Somehow, I linked Dachi's disappearance to Sasori's birth, and came to hate him. I can't stop hating him now, so I beat him up all the time."

Deidara was seeing red by now. This twisted bastard, he had no right to do that, especially since he and Sasori were related. He bent over and grabbed Kenshin's collar again, hauling him back up to his feet. "So, you think you have every right to hurt him, just because you never got to meet your uncle, un?! You make me sick," he hissed at Kenshin.

Kenshin glared at him, and Deidara felt his temper rise. He smacked Kenshin with as much power as he could muster, and blood trickled from the corner of Kenshin's mouth.

"Why do you even care what happens to him?" Kenshin hissed at Deidara, tilting his head towards Sasori. "You hardly know him, yet you stop everyone from beating him up."

Deidara drew a blank then. Why did he feel like he had to help Sasori? When he thought about it, he found he couldn't come up with a reason.

Kenshin smirked at him. "I think you like him, " he whispered. Deidara's eyes grew wide, and he smacked Kenshin. "I do not, un, " he said, doubting his words even as he said them.

He slapped Kenshin one last time, then dropped him to the floor. "Get out," he said flatly, anger radiating off him.

Kenshin stood up, cupping his bruised cheek in one hand, blood still trickling from his mouth. He opened the door, and looked back at Deidara, a smirk still on his face. Then he left, the door shutting softly behind him.

Deidara stood frozen for a second, then collapsed in a nearby chair, and put his head in his hands.

Kenshin and Sasori were cousins....that was a concept that the blonde was having a difficult time accepting. Sasori was the polar opposite of Kenshin; there was no way, no way in hell that they were related to one another. He couldn't tell Sasori about this. That was cruel and unnecessary; and Deidara didn't want to be the one to tell him that the only family he had left hated him.

Deidara sat there for a long time, eyes closed as he thought. What was he suppose to do now? This was confusing.

"Mhnnm...." Deidara's head shot up, and he looked at Sasori. His friend was stirring, and as Deidara watched, he blinked open his eyes, the same color as Kenshin's. How could Deidara not have noticed the similar eye color?

Sasori blinked once, twice, and looked over to where Deidara was sitting. He started, then relaxed, and smiled at Deidara. Deidara gave him a weak smile back.

"You've been out for nearly a week, un," he told Sasori. Sasori's eyes widened. A week...?

Deidara sat there, telling Sasori about what had happened while he had been gone, until his mother came into the room. Deidara looked up at her entrance, then sighed and stood up. "I'll come by tomorrow," he promised Sasori, before exiting the room, the door shutting softly behind him.

* * *

Deidara lay on his bed, eyes blank as cool air washed over him. What was he suppose to do now? Could he continue to beat up Kenshin, knowing that Kenshin and his family where all that Sasori had left?

Deidara groaned and rolled over onto his stomach, facing out the window. Night had fallen, the world dark and peacefully. Crickets sang, and the air smelled sweet and clean. The stars were bright and beautiful, shining in a cloudless sky. The half moon shone silver, lighting up the world with it's soft light.

Deidara didn't notice any of it, his thoughts on his friend. What was he suppose to do now?

* * *

**Author's Comments:** Sooooooooo...they're cousins.

Big plot twist, I know.

I hope you like it! Please tell me what you thought of it!


	12. Chapter 12

Sasori couldn't sleep. He had finally woken up, and his body was tired and sore. Damn that Kenshin to hell.

Sasori frowned as he thought about Deidara. The blonde had been jumpy, nervous almost. Was something wrong? Deidara had seemed...upset.

Sasori closed his eyes and coughed weakly. Dammit....Kenshin had defiantly cracked his rib. It hurt so much, but his breathing had started to become easier. Sasori slowly drifted off, listening to the hum of the machines, his thoughts on Deidara.

* * *

BING-BONG

"Deidara, get the door, hon. I'm trying to take a nap."

Deidara groaned and pulled himself up from the couch, running his hands through his hair, which he had forgotten to tie back that morning. Still grumbling, he walked over to the front door and pulled it open.

"Hello, un...?" He asked sleepily, yawning as he pushed his hair away from his eyes and blinking at the bright autumn sunlight.

"Yo, Dei!" Kisame and Itachi were standing on the porch, wearing jeans and loose t shirts. Kisame grinned at him, while Itachi managed a half wave.

Deidara eyes widened at the sight of his friends. "What are you doing here, un?!" he demanded, grabbing Kisame and dragging him inside, Itachi on his heels.

"We're going downtown, and meeting up with Hidan, Zetsu, Pein, Konan, Tobi and...is Kakuzu coming, Itachi?"

"I think he is....I'm not sure...if we spend a lot of money, or plan on it, he's not coming."

"Dammit, what is with him and his money? He's gonna starve to death one day cause he'll refuse to buy food. I can see him doing that, explaining to us how much money it would save if he just didn't eat."

"I don't think even Kakuzu would be that cheap,."

"He stopped eating at lunch to save money, remember?"

"Oh yeah...he did do that, didn't he?"

"But he's always willing to spend money on Hidan. Can't see why, that guy swears so much and gets into trouble so often..."

"That's true..."

"It's pretty obvious he likes him. If only Hidan would look up from that bible long enough to notice..."

"Hell would freeze over then. Hidan never lets that thing out of his sight. Jashin would punish him if he lost it or something along those lines."

"Hold on, un! I have to go see Sasori in the hospital!" Deidara cut in finally, after listening to in a shocked state as his friends talked. Getting Kisame to shut up was a monumental task, and Deidara was mildly surprised when the shark and weasel stopped their conversation and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Is he even awake? Cause if he's not, there's not---" Kisame began.

"Yeah, he is, un! He woke up yesterday, right after---" Deidara's eyes grew wide and he stopped speaking. He couldn't tell his friends that Kenshin and Sasori were related...he just couldn't.

"Right after what, Dei?" Itachi asked, narrowing his eyes at the blonde.

"Um...right...right after the nurse came by! Yeah, right after she came by to check on him, un!" Deidara lied, then inwardly winced. Dammit, couldn't he think of anything better? That excuse was so lame....they were going to see through it in a moment...

"Ah. So I guess it does matter if you go," Kisame said, placing one hand on his hip and cupping his head in the other, closing his eyes and sighing, shaking his head.

Deidara almost sighed with relief. They'd bought it, thank god for that. Itachi was still giving him weird looks, though, onyx eyes narrowed in confusion. Deidara looked away from the weasel, down to the floor. Itachi could read the truth about something with just one look into someone's eyes, and Deidara didn't want him to figure out he was lying.

"I know!" Kisame said suddenly, snapping his fingers, an excited expression on his face. "We'll just come with you to the hospital after lunch!" he looked eagerly at his two friends.

Deidara could only gape at the shark in his shock. Itachi thought for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Yeah, we could do that..."

"Wait a moment, un! Don't you hate Sasori, Itachi, un?" Deidara cut in. Itachi turned to him, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't hate him, Dei. I just think he's a loser," he said calmly, pushing raven hair away from his face.

"I told you to stop calling him that, un! Next bomb's going in your locker!" Deidara snapped, hair falling around his face. He angrily blew up on it, and floated away, only to rest over his eyes again. Deidara pushed it back, and glared at Itachi with his piercing blue eyes.

Itachi was unfazed, however. Although he did look nervous at the mention of a bomb in his locker. He'd seen what Deidara's bombs did; after all, Hoshi had set off well more than fifty in the last year.

"Fine, he's not a loser!"

"Why don't we get the others opinion on this, un? I mean, they might not like this idea, so maybe we should---"

"Cause they'll be fine with it. Come on, Hidan's gonna come with us, defiantly. You know he likes the 'sharp thingies' that doctors use," Kisame said, trying to just get his friends to move along.

"Fine, whatever, un. But I still need to brush my hair," Deidara pointed out, grabbing a handful of his golden hair and showing his friends how messy it was.

"Well, then get moving on that," Itachi said, moving to sit on the couch. "We'll wait here."

Kisame nodded and went to sit next to the Uchiha. Deidara stared at them for a moment, then turned around to dash out of the room and up the stairs, speeding down the hallway to the bathroom.

He stopped outside the door, and entered the room, flicking on the light switch. He picked up his brush and pulled it through his thick hair, then grabbing a hair tie off the handle and looping it around his hair.

Exiting the bathroom, he walked down the hall to his mother's room and rapped gently on the door.

"What is it, hon?" his mother's groggy voice called out.

"I'm going to spend the day with my friends, un. I'll be back tonight around six."

"Alright, have fun, sweetie. Just don't blow up anything important....and you can grab some money from my purse; I left it in the kitchen."

"Okay, un. See you tonight."

Deidara walked away down the hall and clambered down the stairs, entering the kitchen and spotting his mom's purse sitting on the counter next to the sink. He open it and grabbed her wallet, pulling out a few twenties. He dropped the wallet next to the purse and left the room, stuffing the money in his pocket as he entered the living room.

"Let's go, un," he said, grabbing his shoes and pulling them on his feet quickly, not looking at his friend. He yanked open the door and walked outside, Kisame and Itachi by his side in a moment.

"Let's go!" Kisame yelled cheerfully, leading the trio down the steps and away from the blonde's house, picking up his conversation of Kakuzu and Hidan with Itachi once again.

Deidara inwardly sighed. Poor Sasori...having these morons visit him....

* * *

"What do you fucking mean, we have to go visit that bastard Sasori Akasuna later?!" Hidan yelled. They had just met up with their friends outside of the bookstore, and had told them of there plan. People were giving them, especially Hidan, a wide berth.

"Well, Deidara kinda promised to go see him, and he can't go with us and visit him, so we're eating lunch then going to the hospital," Kisame explained, trying to calm the Jashinist down.

Hidan glared at him out of pink and lavender eyes, silver hair catching the sunlight. Kakuzu put a hand on his thin shoulder, ready to restrain him.

"Hidan, just calm down, and we'll get you a mouse or something to sacrifice later," he said calmly, watching Hidan out of his piercing green eyes. Hidan turned to face Kakuzu, his eyes narrowing.

"Fine, I'll fucking calm down. Now let go of my shoulder, dumbass," he hissed, pushing Kakuzu's hand off him.

"Alright...so we'll get lunch, and then go, right?" Konan asked, arms around Pein's neck.

"Yeah. Let's try to be there by noon, alright?" Itachi said, looking around the group. Hidan glared at him for another moment before looking away, Kakuzu still watching him.

"Now...to go get that mouse for Hidan..." The group wandered off, laughing and pointing at things as they went.

Deidara followed them. What on earth was going to happen? He shivered, feeling sorry for his red headed friend.

* * *

Sasori was sitting up in the bed when they arrived. The doctors had decided he could breathe well enough on his own, and taken away one of the machines. Sasori was glad about that; he hated those machines and their annoying hum, and having one less meant he was recovering.

He was reading when Hidan burst into the room, the door opening with a loud bang. Sasori looked up with wide eyes, his book falling to the floor, as the Jashinist strode into the room, Kakuzu just behind him.

"Hidan, you need to stop doing that!" the miser ordered, grabbing Hidan's shoulder.

"Please tell me Hidan didn't break something," Itachi groaned as he entered with Kisame. Pein and Konan entered, followed by Zetsu who was holding onto Tobi's collar.

"Hi, Sasori!" the masked teen chirped, waving at Sasori. Sasori waved back, eyes wide. Deidara poked his head in, then crept quietly into the room and sat down next to the red head's bed.

"What are they all doing here?" Sasori hissed at Deidara.

"It was Kisame's idea, un."

"That explains it," Sasori muttered, looking at the crowd of people.

"Seriously, this room has nothing that fucking sharp! Oh wait...I finally fucking found something...this looks fucking sharp."

"Hidan, don't stab yourself with that!"

"And why the fuck should I not?!"

"Cause the doctors'll get mad if you bleed all over the floor!"

"That's a shitty reason! I do this to please my fucking god!"

"Wait until you get home, alright?!"

"Zetsu, what's this?"

"Don't unplug that!"

"Okay! What'll did do, though?"

"Pein, help me get the knife away from Hidan!"

"Hidan, no cutting yourself!"

"No! I fucking want to!"

"Kisame, stop Tobi!"

"Why should I?! Make Zetsu do it!"

"Zetsu, stop trying to get Tobi's arm! Tobi, don't you dare touch that---"

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT CUTTING YOURSELF?!"

"May this blood please you, Jashin-sama!"

"Hidan, this is not the time to be making sacrifices!"

"And I'll do whatever I fucking please!"

"No you won't! Now put down the knife, and ZETSU STOP EATING TOBI!"

"Tobi's a good boy!"

"No, you're not! DON'T UNPLUG THAT!"

"Hidan, give me the knife!"

"No fucking way, asshole!"

"Next time, just come alone," Sasori whispered as Kisame and Itachi began trying to get Zetsu to stop chewing on Tobi, Konan yelling at Tobi to no unplug one of the machines, Pein and Kakuzu trying to get Hidan to give them the knife he'd found, and Hidan refusing.

"Agreed, un."

* * *

**Author's Comments:** This one's long...

I hope you like it. I'm about to pass out, thanks to my stupid kitten pouncing on my head.

And my brother will not shut up, and ripped up yet another drawing. The cat I can forgive; my brother I can't.

Now to go find the chainsaw...


	13. Chapter 13

"And how are you, Sasori?" asked Itachi.

They had finally manged to calm down the group. Kakuzu had taken the knife away from Hidan, and the Jashinist wouldn't speak to the miser. Kisame and Itachi had separated Tobi and Zetsu, and were refusing to let the masked teen go.

"I've been unconscious for a week. How do you think I am?" Sasori asked, looking around at the huge group.

"Well, yeah, but still, how are you?" Kisame asked, gripping Tobi's arm in case the teen decided to try and get away.

"I'm fine, I guess...but how are you guys?"

"Well, Hidan managed to get himself suspended for a week," Pein began.

"Because that Jashin dammed science teacher said that Jashin doesn't exist!" Hidan yelled angrily.

"Hidan, he just said God doesn't exist. Not Jashin, just God in general," Kakuzu said, trying to keep the Jashinist calm.

"Oh, so you're taking his fucking side now, bastard?!"

"I'm not! I'm just saying---"

"You fucking are!"

"Hidan, shut up!" Konan yelled at the silver haired teen. Hidan glowered at her for a moment, then looked away, out the window.

"Thank you, Konan," Kakuzu said.

"Shut up, you fucking miser."

"Hidan, we just told you to---"

"Why did Kenshin and his gang beat you up so bad?" Itachi cut smoothly. Hidan glared at them, then cranked open the window. The sweet fresh air filled them, and Sasori shivered at the slight chill it carried as he thought about Itachi's question.

"Well, I guess...because they were upset that Deidara's been helping me for the last few weeks," he said finally. Deidara watched his face carefully, looking away when Sasori glanced at him.

"Kenshin's a twisted bastard, huh?" Kisame asked.

"Well, yeah. He just hates me, and I don't know why," Sasori said, looking away from the blonde and facing Kisame as he spoke.

Deidara flinched at Sasori's words. He knew why Kenshin hated the red head so much, and he couldn't tell him. Kenshin still had no right to hurt Sasori, though...

"How long as he been doing this to you?" Konan asked, motioning at Sasori's many bandages.

"A couple of years. I can't really remember when he started," Sasori said. Deidara flinched again. Why did it hurt so much to hear Sasori say that so calmly.

"Wow....that long?"

"Yeah. I'm used to it by now. But this is the first time he's sent me to the hospital."

"But still, that's pretty---Hidan, where did you get that?! Drop it, now!" Kakuzu yelled. Hidan had managed to find a needle and was poking it into his skin.

The Jashinist looked up at the miser, narrowing his pink and lavender eyes at his friend.

"No fucking way in hell, asshole!" He yelled.

"They'll ban you from visiting!"

"Do I look like I fucking care?!"

"Well, no, you don't. But still drop that!"

"No fucking way! You bastards already took away the Jashin dammed knife; I'm fucking keeping this thing!"

"Whatever. Just don't lose too much blood, okay?"

"Fine, asshole."

"I wonder why a nurse hasn't come to see what all the noise is about," Itachi muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes.

"You think by now they'd know about Hidan. How many times have your family gotten into the hospital this last year, Hidan?"

"How the fuck should I know, bastard?! Too many times to fucking count." Hidan said angrily, stabbing his wrist with the needle and watching the tiny amount of blood drip down his wrist.

"Yeah, you think they would know better than to let Hidan in," Pein said calmly.

"Maybe they just didn't recognize him," Konan offered.

"And how can you not recognize someone with silver hair, purple eyes and who looks like a girl?" Itachi asked, looking around the room.

"I DO NOT LOOK LIKE A FUCKING GIRL! TAKE THAT BACK, ASSHOLE!" Hidan yelled, throwing the needle at Itachi, which the weasel dodged with ease, eyes still shut.

"You do. Not as bad as Itachi or Deidara though." Kisame said, grinning at the silver haired teen.

"I don't look like a girl," Itachi said calmly, twisting his ponytail around one finger.

"Neither do I, un!"

"You both do," Pein said, smirking at the Uchiha and the blonde.

"Do they look like girls because they weren't good boys? Maybe they're suppose to be good girls!" Tobi chimed in.

"SHUT UP TOBI, UN!"

"Tobi, do you have a death wish?"

"Is a death wish something good boys have?"

Sasori sighed and closed his eyes. Itachi and Deidara did look rather feminine, he had to admit. Deidara could defiantly pass as a girl, when he let his hair out and wasn't glaring at someone. Itachi as well. Just those scars under his eyes ruined the image slightly.

"Why is the world against me, un?" Deidara asked woefully. Sasori opened his eyes. The blonde was holding Tobi's collar with one hand, the other pressed to his forehead, eyes closed as he sighed dramatically.

"Deidara, stop that," Kisame said, snatching Tobi away from the blonde's grip. Deidara opened his eyes and dropped his hand, glaring at the shark. "No one's against you."

"Then why-oh-why do you think I look like a girl, un?!'

"Cause you do," Sasori said, smirking at his friend. Deidara turned to him, sighing huffily. "I do not, un!"

"Are we just going to argue weather Deidara and I look like girls for the rest of the visit or not?" Itachi demanded.

"Would you rather we talk about depressing stuff, like Sasori's beating?" Kisame asked.

"Well...no...but the whole argument is just stupid. We do not look like girls!"

"Itachi, you do. End of discussion," Pein said firmly. "Now shut up."

"And if I don't?"

"I'll give Tobi sugar and set him on you."

Itachi gulped, black eyes widening. "Alright, I'll shut up!"

"Good."

* * *

They stayed until about five, talking and laughing. Deidara was quiet, trying to disappear. Sasori noticed this, and asked the blonde what was wrong more than once. Deidara just smiled at him and told him was fine, but Sasori remained unconvinced.

Finally, Itachi noticed the time.

"We'd better go," he said, standing. Kisame got his feet as well, and pulled Tobi up. Konan and Pein stood up, Hidan grumbling as he jumped off the table he was sitting on. Zetsu moved silently over and held open the door.

"Maybe we'll come by tomorrow," Kisame said.

"Yeah, we might. Good seeing you, Sasori."

"Be a good boy!"

"Shut up, Tobi."

Sasori waved at them as the group filed out of the room.

"You coming, Deidara?" Kakuzu called to the blonde.

"In a minute. Go on ahead, un."

Kakuzu nodded and shut the door.

"Sorry they all came, un," Deidara muttered to Sasori.

"No, it's fine," Sasori said, a small smile on his face. "You should go. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah." Deidara got to his feet. "See you tomorrow, un."

He walked to the door and heaved it open, Sasori watching him, leaving the red head alone with his thoughts.

* * *

**Author's Comments: **This chapter is kinda weird, but I've been writing way too much serious stuff lately and I wanted to take a break.

Whatever. My dad made me put the chainsaw away, meaning my brother is still alive.

Maybe I'll just use needles and stab his veins.


	14. Chapter 14

Weeks passed, and Sasori was finally let out of the hospital. He didn't have to pay many hospital bills; and only Deidara knew why. He had cornered Kenshin one day and Kenshin had told him that his father, Haruki Meadin, was paying many of the bills. One less thing for Sasori to worry about...

The leaves were changing, the days growing shorter and colder. Sasori woke up with his trailer freezing cold more than once, and October 31 was drawing near.

Deidara's friends seemed to be accepting Sasori, and made more efforts to talk to him during lunch, and he began hanging out with them more and more.

One morning, Kenshin and Naoki began harassing Sasori again, cornering him against a locker. Kisame and Itachi had been passing by then; heading to their next class when they saw what was happening. Kenshin had only managed to punch Sasori once before Kisame had lifted him into the air by his shirt collar. Sasori had fallen to the floor from the force of the blow, and Itachi had helped him to his feet.

Kisame made sure the red head was alright before roughly sending Kenshin and Naoki one their way. Then he and Itachi had made sure Sasori got to class safely. That had stuck with Sasori, and had made him happier than he could ever remember being. It showed that the weasel and shark were starting to like him somewhat.

A few days before Halloween, the group was hanging around a park after school, talking and waiting for Pein and Konan to show up.

"What are we doing for Halloween this year, un?" Deidara asked, dropping his bag on the ground and sitting down on a swing.

"It was Konan's turn to come up with the idea this year, so she'll tell us when she gets here," Kisame said.

"Wait, what?" Sasori asked, getting confused.

"Oh yeah, you don't know," Itachi said, noticing the red head's expression.

"Every year, we come up with a theme for Halloween," Kisame said, sitting down heavily on the ground.

"We take turns deciding what the theme is, and we all come up with costumes. Last year it was Hidan's turn, and we all went as some form of criminal," Kakuzu continued.

"The year before that, it was Zetsu's turn, and we all went as plants, un. That was embarrassing..." Deidara chimed in.

"Well, sorry for liking plants! ** Assholes** No they're not. ** Yes they are, they thought the plant costumes were stupid ** Whatever."

"We usually go out to scare the fucking little kids, but last year some bitch noticed and made us stop," Hidan grumbled, climbing up a tree.

"Tobi goes for the candy, cause Tobi's a good boy!"

"**No, you're not! ** Yes he is, be nice! **He's not a good boy!** Yes he is. Now shut up. ** Asshole.** We're the same person, so you just insulted yourself too, you know. ** Shut up.**"

"And it's Konan's turn this year, right?" Sasori asked.

"Yeah. Who knows what she'll come up with..."

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

The group turned to see Konan and Pein running towards them, Konan's face flushed with excitement.

"I came up with the idea!" She said cheerfully, skidding to a halt and grinning at the group. Kisame stood up, and Itachi walked over to him.

"So what is it, un?"

"This year, we're going as a medieval people! Sasori, Kakuzu and Kisame will be gentlemen of the court, Tobi a jester, Zetsu as a knight, Pein as a prince, and I'm going as a princess. But there are a few difficulties..."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Kisame admitted. "But what's the problem? What are Deidara, Hidan and Itachi wearing?"

"Konan and I decided that Hidan, Deidara and Itachi have to go as ladies of the court. Meaning they'll have to wear dresses." Pein said.

There was dead silence for a moment, then Hidan found his voice.

"WHAT THE FUCK MAKES YOU THINK I'M WEARING A JASHIN DAMMED DRESS?! NO FUCKING WAY IN HELL ARE YOU GETTING ME TO DO THAT!"

"I'll die before I do that," Itachi said, face turning red as he spoke.

"I'M NOT DOING THAT, UN!"

"And that's the problem," Konan finished. "Luckily, we came prepared."

"Huh? What the fuck do you---"

"Tobi, come here," Pein interrupted, pulling a box out of his jacket pocket. The masked teen scrambled over as Pein open the box and took out something. He held it up for everyone to see.

"Do you all know what this is?" He asked. Sasori squinted at the object in his hand, trying to make out what it was.

"It's a sugar cube," Kakuzu said finally.

"Yes. I have a whole box of them here. And who is standing besides me?"

"** It's that bastard Tobi. ** Now be nice...."

"Yes. And what will happen if Tobi eats just one of these?"

"Life ends as we know it," Kisame said, eyes widening. "Pein, you don't mean---"

"Yeah. And I have a whole box here. If Deidara, Hidan and Itachi don't agree to shut up and wear the dresses, I give the box to Tobi."

"NO! I'LL WEAR THE DRESS! JUST DON'T GIVE THAT TO HIM!" Itachi yelled as he ducked behind Kisame for safety.

"I'll wear it, un!"

"Now, we will all be safe if Hidan agrees to it as well."

"FINE! I'LL WEARING THE FUCKING DRESS! NOW PUT THOSE DAMMED SUGAR CUBES AWAY!"

"I'm glad we're all in agreement. Now come to our house. Konan has some stuff that could work."

* * *

"This'll look perfect on you, Hidan!" Konan shrieked, pulling a slim lavender dress with a low collar and flimsy, see-through sleeves out of her closet and holding it up to the light. Hidan looked at it with wide eyes, backing away from the blue haired women.

"Now go try it on!" Konan ordered, thrusting it at the Jashinist. Hidan barely caught it, and looked at it once more before starting to yell.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"You heard me! Go try it on!"

"No fucking way!"

"Ahem..." Hidan turned to see Pein pulling the sugar cubes back out of his pocket, and was gone in a flash, taking the dress with him.

"Thanks, Pein, honey."

"No, problem, sweetie."

"This one's for Itachi..." she pulled out a crimson dress. The skirt was wide and ruffled, the neckline low cut, the sleeves short and edged in gold. Itachi looked at it before slowly taking it, as if he was afraid it would bite him. He disappeared to the bathroom down the hall.

"And....this one's for Dei-chan!"

Konan pulled out a sky blue dress. The skirt was long, and it was a strapless. The waist was cut so it would show of Deidara's girlish hips to the maximum, and the color matched his eyes perfectly.

Deidara's eyes widened and his face grew red. His mouth dropped open.

"Take this, and go change in the spare bedroom," Konan ordered. Deidara slowly nodded and grabbed the dress before exiting the room.

"Now to wait...Sasori, come here. This shirt might work for you..."

* * *

"We're done, un..." Deidara called out a short time later, his voice week.

"Come in here, boys!" Konan yelled. The others were lined up against the wall, holding bits and pieces of costumes Konan had thrown at them. Sasori found himself holding a ruffled shirt and waistcoat.

The guys entered the room, and lined up in front of them.

For a moment, the room was silent. Then, lead by Kisame, the whole group burst into laughter.

"IT'S NOT THAT FUCKING FUNNY!" Hidan yelled, his face red. The lavender dress suited his coloring perfectly and clung to his slim form. The see through sleeves showed off his graceful arms, the skirt draping gently on the floor.

"Shut up," Itachi ordered, his voice weak. The dress he wore portrayed his dark hair and eyes and his pale skin to the maximum.

"Konan...I hate you, un..." Deidara looked the best in his dress by far. He had let his hair down, and it tumbled around his shoulders. The dress seemed to slim him down even more, the color bring out his eyes, which were shining with embarrassment. Sasori could feel his face grow red as he gaped at Deidara, and looked away. What was the matter with him...?

"You look so cute!" Konan squealed, glomping Hidan in her excitement.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! LET ME GO!" Hidan yelled, trying without success to pry Konan off him.

"You look good," Kisame said, grinning at Itachi. Itachi looked away, muttering under his breath.

"Hidan, that color's perfect on you."

"Shut up, you fucking miser."

"I'm just saying..."

"You all look like good girls!" Tobi chimed in, his jester hat tinkling as he dashed around.

"I'm gonna kill you for that, Tobi, un!" Deidara yelled, then noticed Sasori staring at him. His eyes widened and he looked down at the floor, feeling his face flush all over again. Dammit...

"You look good," Sasori whispered to his friend.

Deidara felt his heart skip a beat at Sasori's words. What was the matter with him?

* * *

**Author's Comments: **This idea was just too funny to pass up.

Come on, we all know they'd look hot. Next chapter they actually go out dressed like that.

And I'm going to try and draw the dresses and what they look like in them, just for the sake of it.

God, I love this chapter....


	15. Chapter 15

"I'm going to kill you Konan," Itachi muttered as they walked downtown, heading for a neighborhood at the edge of town. Konan had forced Sasori to wear a ruffled shirt, embroidered waistcoat and breeches. Konan herself was wearing a poofy white dress, a silver tiara set in her blue hair.

"Why the fuck are you making us walked through the fucking downtown?" Hidan swore angrily.

"It's a shortcut. Now shut up. I still have the sugar cubes, you know."

"Fine, I'll fucking shut up."

Somebody wolf whistled at Hidan, causing his face to turn red and a new stream of swear words come out of his mouth. Konan had forced him not to slick back his silver hair and had put curlers in it. It was wavy now, the curls ending at about his chin. He looked more like a girl than ever.

"Konan, we're never doing this again," Itachi said. His hair had been let out and fell in dark ringlets around his pale face.

"I hate this dress, un. "

"But you look so cute, Dei!" Deidara was wearing his hair down, and Konan had forced a wreath of blue flowers onto his head, leaving his bangs to cover his left eye.

"Oh, come on you guys. It's not that bad," Kakuzu said, trying to reassure them.

"So says the bastard not actually wearing the fucking dress."

Another wolf whistle, and Hidan and Itachi flinched. Deidara was trying to hide behind Sasori.

"At this rate, someone's going to start hitting on you three. You're getting more attention than Konan," Kisame said, grinning. He was wearing the same outfit as Sasori, with a different waistcoat than what Sasori and a plumed hat set on his head.

"I still fucking hate this."

"You're not the only one in a dress, un!"

"Shut the fuck up, blondie."

"Hidan, don't be mean!" Kakuzu ordered.

"I always fucking talk this way, you fucking miser!"

"Just stop swearing for a while, okay?"

"Fine, I'll fucking shut up...."

They continued along in silence for a while. Occasionally, someone would whistle, usually causing Itachi to flinch and prompting more swearing from Hidan. Deidara just tried to hide in the center of the group.

"Hidan, good boys don't swear." Tobi said worriedly, after Hidan had let out a string of especially vile words. Tobi was wearing a velvet orange green jumpsuit, his jester hat set crookedly on his head. He always wore his spiral mask, the one eye hole showing his glowing red eye.

"Shut up, you bastard." Hidan snapped, tugging at his lavender skirt. His face was glowing red.

"He's not a bastard. ** Yes he is.** You need to shut up. ** Make me.**"

"Hidan, please. Just don't worry about it," Kakuzu begged.

"No fucking way am I shutting up."

"I have the sugar cubes...."

"Alright! I'm fucking quiet!"

"Good, cause if you don't, I will give Tobi the sugar cubes."

Another whistle. Hidan flinched but kept silent. Itachi tripped over the hem of his dress, and Kisame hauled him back up to his feet. The weasel clung to the shark's arm, in case he tripped again.

Deidara wasn't speaking, and Sasori couldn't help but worry about his friend.

Little kids and their families were pointing at the group now, their voices easily reaching their ears.

"Mommy, lookit the pretty lady!"

"Which one?"

"The one in the purple dress! She looks like a princess!" Hidan flinched again.

"Yes, she is very pretty, isn't she?"

Everyone expect Hidan were biting back laughter. The Jashinist was staring at the ground, anger and embarrassment radiating off him.

"Hidan, I know a way you could scare that kid. You could go up and tell her you're a guy," Kakuzu said, grinning at the silver haired teen.

Hidan didn't reply, which was strange for him. Kakuzu stopped laughing and looked at him, eyes concerned, "Hidan, is something wrong?"

"No," Hidan said curtly, still looking at the ground.

"Itachi, don't tug at that! You'll rip it!" Konan screeched. Itachi had been pulling on the ruffles on his skirt, looking disgusted and embarrassment. Konan's out burst prompted more whispers from the onlookers.

"Isn't Itachi a guy's name?"

"That can't be a guy. She's too pretty."

"Yeah. That silver haired one and the blonde have got to be girls as well."

"Yeah, seriously. They're so beautiful...."

"Yeah. I wonder how old they are...."

"No, look. They have their boyfriends with them."

"Shit, they do."

No one felt like talking by now. Sasori couldn't keep from blushing as Deidara clung to his arm to keep from tripping.

What was going on? Why did he feel like he did, like he had to help the blonde?

* * *

**Author's Comments: **This is part one of the Halloween part. Next part won't be so boring, I promise.

I think I'm coming down with a cold. I feel like shit. Probably that's why this one sucks.


	16. Chapter 16

"This sucks, un," Deidara muttered as they reached the edge of the neighborhood. They had to endure more cat calls and more comments on how pretty Deidara, Itachi and Hidan were, and the whole group was happy to reach a area with fewer people around. Hidan was muttering angrily under his breath, still sulking about the little girl that had said he was beautiful.

"Where are we even going?" Sasori asked. He'd been wondering that for a while, and everyone but him seemed to know where they were going.

"Hoshi and her clique invited us over for a party," Itachi said, sighing.

"She's going to love the sight of her Dei-chan in a dress," Kisame commented, grinning at the blonde's back.

"Shut up, un."

"Oh, come on, Dei. She had a nosebleed that time when the teachers made you be a girl in the play," Kakuzu said.

"You guys were in a play?" Sasori asked.

"Don't you _ dare _ tell him about that, un."

"Yeah, back in middle school. They made us do a play every year, and in 8th grade, it was Robin Hood, and Deidara was picked to be Maid Marian," Pein told Sasori, ignoring the blonde. "Deidara's fangirls went nuts the first time they saw his costume. He had to wear this fancy silken thing, and it was a hit with the girls."

"Hoshi took one look at that costume during a rehearsal and passed out from a nosebleed," Itachi continues. "Deidara has always been popular with the girls since then."

"You guys never listen to me, un."

"Well, yeah. More fun for us that way, then."

"I hate you Kisame, un."

"So, you go to Hoshi's house for a lot of parties?" Sasori asked, trying to get out of the dangerous waters.

"Yeah. Hoshi throws parties for Halloween, Christmas, Fourth of July, Easter, Valentine's day...every holiday, pretty much. And she always invites us to them," Kakuzu said.

"The parties are always as boring as hell," Hidan muttered angrily, tugging at one of his silver ringlets.

"Yet you always go."

"Hell yeah. It's better than staying at home."

"Then stop complaining."

"Make me!"

"We're here," Konan said cheerfully, leading the way up to the door of an enormous house. It was painted white and the porch had Greek style pillars on it, holding up the roof.

They marched up the steps. They could hear the song "Cotton-eyed Joe" playing inside, and laughter. Sasori stared in amazment at the beauty of the house. Pein pressed his finger to the doorbell and stepped back, waiting.

The door flew open to reveal Hoshi, wearing a cat girl outfit. She smiled widely at the them, and stepped back to allow them into her house. They stepped inside, smiling at Hoshi and complimenting her outfit; Deidara more reluctant to follow them.

The second Hoshi saw him, her eyes lit up with happiness and she launched herself at the blonde. Sasori stepped back, out of the way, as Deidara crashed to the floor, Hoshi squealing in delight.

"This proves my point, un. No one ever listens to me," Deidara muttered as he sat up.

"Dei-chan, you look so cute!" Hoshi said happily, hugging the blonde tightly. Sasori watched silently; the others had already lost interest and wandered away to mingle with the rest of the guests. His heart felt heavy, seeing someone holding the blonde so close. But why did he feel like this...?

"Hoshi, are you ever going to listen to me and stop doing that, un?" Deidara asked, prying Hoshi's arms off his neck and standing up, smoothing out the dress and adjusting his hair.

"I'm sorry, Dei-chan, but you just look so cute!"

"I hate this, un."

"But you look so good!"

"That's not the point, un. I may look good in this, but I am a guy, and this is a dress. Meaning I have every right to hate this, un."

"But you look so cute!"

"You're not getting the point, are you, un?"

CRASH

"MOTHER FUCKING---"

"Deidara, come on," Sasori ordered, grabbing Deidara's arm and dragging him into the next room, Hoshi trailing behind them. Hidan was standing in the middle of the room, a vase in pieces at hi feet.

"Hidan, don't break things!" Kakuzu said, sighing.

"It was just in my fucking way, okay?!"

"No, it's not okay, cause you still broke it!"

"I'll get the broom!" Hoshi said cheerfully, leaving the room and returning a moment later, a broom and dustpan in hand. She walked to the center of the room, and shooed Hidan aside before beginning to sweep up the remains of the vase.

Hidan glared at everyone in the room, then sat down on the couch behind him.

"Come on, before she's done, un," Deidara whispered in Sasori's ear, grabbing his hand. The red head allowed the blonde to lead him away from the crowd of people. They walked into the other room. Pein and Konan were here, talking to a pink haired girl Sasori dimly reconized.

"Ah! Deidara!" Konan called, noticing them standing there and waving at the two of them. "Come here. Sasori, this is Sakura Haruno."

"Hello," Sasori muttered.

"Hey, Sakura, un! I haven't seen you in a while, un!"

Deidara and Sakura began laughing and talking. Sasori began to feel uncomfortable, and backed slowly out of the room. Suddenly, his back hit something. He twisted around, and his red eyes widened with surprise.

It was Kenshin.

Kenshin was here, at Hoshi's house.

"Hello, freak."

* * *

**Author's Comments:** I have really nothing to say about this. I am brain dead and tired, and the first person to complain I will kill. Plus I'm pissed as all hell about the STUPID teachers at the christan camp I've been forced to go to.

I'm lucky I even got this up, seeing how I feel.


	17. Chapter 17

"Hello, freak."

Sasori's eyes widened, and he stumbled forward, twisting around to stare at Kenshin. The teen was dressed as a gangster, his clothing all black and silver. A fake sword hung from his belt, his auburn hair tied back with a red bandanna. His eyes, so similar to Sasori's own, were narrowed as he glared at the red head.

"Cheap shot, loser. Making friends with a bunch of the tough and popular kids ain't gonna stop me. I still have to pay you back for what Hoshigaki and Uchiha did to me. And hiding behind a girly-guy like Deidara...how pathetic. You can't do anything for yourself, can you?"

Sasori's blood froze, then instantly began boiling again. Deidara wasn't a girly-guy, he was by far stronger than anyone Sasori knew. And yet this bastard was insulting him...

Kenshin caught sight of the look on Sasori's face and smirked.

"What, can't bear to hear me trash-talk that freak? He's no different from you, loser. It's a wonder he's so popular, looking like that and all."

Sasori flinched, feeling his anger rise. That bastard...

"I can see why he likes you. You're both the same; nothing but freaks and losers. Especially people like Hoshigaki and that Zetsu freak. And that idiot Hidan, with that filthy mouth of his. It's amazing anyone likes them at all. Even bigger wonder that they're so popular."

The red head was shaking by now. Not only had Kenshin insulted Deidara, Sasori's best friend, but he was trash-talking the rest of Sasori's friends, the only people who cared for him. Why...why did everyone do this to him? Why did everyone like to make him feel so useless?

"Sasori!"

Deidara came running up, laughing. Then he caught sight of the red head's expression, and Kenshin smirking, a pleased expression on his face. The blonde's eyes narrowed, and he pushed Sasori out of the way, glaring at Kenshin.

"What the hell did you say to him, you bastard, un?" he hissed angrily.

"I just told him the truth. That's all."

Deidara paled, his eyes widening. Kenshin raised an eyebrow and grinned evilly.

"No, not that truth. Do you think I'm proud of that? I'm not, and you would do well to remember that, blondie. You're the only one to know about that, outside of my family."

Sasori looked from Deidara to Kenshin, confused. Why was Deidara so upset? What was this "truth" that they were talking about?

What did Deidara not want him to know?

"Well, what did you tell him then, un?" The blonde spat, dragging Sasori from his thoughts and back to reality. He shook his head slowly, trying to clear it.

"Simply the truth. That he's a loser, and would do well do stay out of my way. Nice costume by the way. Is crossing dressing becoming a habit for you now?"

"Shut up, you bastard, un. That's not the point. Sasori is not a loser, and you will leave him alone or regret it, un."

"That scary, coming from a guy in a dress."

"I told you to **shut up**, un!"

"Did I strike a nerve?"

"No!"

"I think I did," Kenshin said, smirking. "And about that other thing, you know, that thing we talked about...be a good boy and I won't tell."

Deidara paled. Kenshin really did think he had a crush on Sasori. But he couldn't...he didn't...right? There was no way he did...

"Remember my warning, Akasuna, or you'll regret it." With that, Kenshin brushed by Deidara, walking across the room to engage in conversation with Sakura and a blonde Sasori hadn't noticed before.

Deidara stood still, hair covering his face so Sasori couldn't see his expression. The red head reached a hand out and placed it on the blonde's arm.

"Deidara, what was he talking about? What was that truth thing? What is he not going to talk about if you behave?" he asked, allowing some of his worry to creep into his voice.

"It's nothing, Sasori, un," Deidara muttered, pushing the hand of his arm and turning around to walk back into the room. Sasori watched him, feeling something in his chest constrict. What was going on?

What was Deidara not telling him?

And why did it hurt this much?

* * *

"Well that sucked," Hidan grumbled as the group waved good bye to Hoshi and began walking back to town.

"Hidan, you had a good time. Now shut up," Kakuzu said tiredly, drawing a hand over his face.

"Fine..."

"Deidara-sempai, is something the matter?" Tobi asked. Deidara was still pale, looking anywhere but Sasori, his eyes sad and confused. He started at his name, and brought his fake grin to his face instantly.

"No, un! What makes you say that?" He asked, trying hard to hide his surprise.

"Cause sempai isn't as happy as he usually is."

"Yeah, I noticed that too. Deidara, seriously, is something wrong?" Itachi asked, pushing his hair back over his shoulder and turning his onyx eyes on the blue.

"You can tell us, Dei. We're all your friends," Pein continued.

Deidara's grin faltered for a moment, then returned almost instantly. He gave a nervous laugh, flicking his hair over his shoulder.

"Nothing's wrong, un! Don't worry about me!"

"Dei, you're a awful lair. Tell us the truth!"

"Please, Deidara. Just tell us what's bothering you."

"No!"

The whole group had stopped walking by now, and were all staring at the blonde.

"Why not?" Kakuzu asked gently.

The blonde looked pained and upset, blue eyes glittering with tears.

"I can't, un," he whispered quietly.

"Deidara, if you can't tell us, you can't tell anyone. ** Now just tell us what's wrong, before we make you.** You're not helping, you know."

"We're your friends. Please, just tell us," Kisame said.

"I can't, un. I just...I mean I just....I can't tell you!" Deidara cried.

"Deidara, stop being stubborn."

"I'm not, un! It's just...JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, UN!" With that, Deidara spun around and dashed up the hill, blonde hair flying out behind him. They could hear a sob as Deidara dashed out of their sight into the darkness.

The whole group stood there in shocked silence for a moment. Then Pein spoke.

"We have to go find him. We need to know what's going on."

"Agreed. Come on, Kisame," Itachi said, grabbing the shark's arm and dashing off after the blonde. Hidan and Kakuzu ran off after a moment as well, Sasori following them. They came to another street and dashed down it, hoping that Kisame and Itachi had gone the other way.

As he ran, Sasori thought about his friend.

What could Deidara not tell them about?

What was so important?

And why was he so unhappy to see Deidara cry like that?

* * *

**Author's Comments: **There you go. This one took a while.

I have no idea when I'll put the next part up. Probably when my creativity comes back and I stop writing crap.

Whatever. I'm going to go find my comic book of bunny suicides now.


	18. Chapter 18

Deidara ran down the dark streets, feeling tears course down his cheeks. He tripped over the hem of his dress, and stood up almost instantly and began running again. Dammit, he couldn't think straight...

He really hoped his friends didn't find him for a while; he was assuming they had gotten over their shock and were searching for him. And he knew he couldn't tell them why he had freaked out. It would be painful enough to tell them of the connect between Kenshin and Sasori, but....

Deidara was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe Kenshin was right. Not that Sasori was a loser, but that...

But that Deidara liked Sasori.

The blonde shook his head furiously, not paying any attention as he strode down the sidewalk, entering a more a crowed area. Cat calls and wolf whistles started up again, snapping the sculptor back to reality. Damn that Konan, he really hated this dress.

"Hey, babe, come have a drink with us!" a drunken teen called, staggering in front of Deidara. The blonde gave him a frank look, stopping in his tracks. Then he punched the teen in the gut, grabbed his shoulder, dislocating it and sending the teen to the sidewalk, before striding away again, leaving the man screaming on the ground. His skirt flapped in the wind, and his hair fell into his face, which he promptly pushed back again.

Passerbys stared at the injured teen and the blonde with wide eyes before they began whispering. Deidara didn't care, he just wanted to find somewhere to rest and gather his thoughts.

Two teens began speaking, their voices loud enough for Deidara to hear even as he walked away from the concerned crowd, surrounding the teen he had injured.

"Dude, that chick is _violent_!"

"Yeah. But she's pretty."

"True. But still, did you see what she did?!"

"Yeah, of course I did. But she's still so beautiful..."

"Seriously, you never see girls that pretty on their own anymore. I wonder if she has a boyfriend?"

"There's no way she's going for you. Maybe she'll like me, though..."

"Dream on."

Deidara flinched, and began walking faster. He seriously hated this, being mistaken for a girl all the time. The blonde quickly left the bustling streets, entering a quiet, dark playground on the edge of town. He headed for the swings and sat down, brushing out his skirt, then turning his head upwards to stare at the stars.

He closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet, chilly fall air. What was he suppose to do now...?

* * *

"JASHIN DAMMIT I FUCKING HATE THIS DRESS!" Hidan swore loudly, tripping over his hem for the ninth time within three minutes.

Kakuzu sighed and hauled the silver haired teen to his feet. "We're not getting anywhere like this," he grumbled as Hidan brushed out his skirt.

"Well, I'm fucking sorry!"

"Sasori."

"Hmm?" Sasori snapped back to reality. He had been lost in his thoughts for the last few minutes. What on earth was going on with Deidara?

"Hidan and I are only slowing you down. Go on ahead without us."

Sasori blinked, looking at his friend. "But--" he started.

"Look, Hidan is having issues with this dress--"

"Understatement of the year, bastard!"

"--and we're never going to be able to find Deidara if we have to help Hidan up every thirty seconds."

"It's not my fault! It's this fucking dress! I swear, I'm going to cut this dress to ribbons and---"

"Hidan, shut up and let Sasori think for a second."

Sasori stood there, mulling it over. Yes, it was true that they were slower because of Hidan, but there was safety in numbers and people that hated Sasori could easily run into him when he was on his own...

But Deidara was more important right now.

Sasori slowly nodded his head. It was only way they would find the blonde right now, if they split up. "Yeah, let's do that."

"Alright. We'll follow you. You don't have a cell phone, right?"

"No."

"I knew it. Here, borrow mine." Kakuzu said, pulling a slim blue phone out of his pocket and passing it to Sasori, who took it and stared at it for a moment, who then looked at Kakuzu with wide eyes.

"You actually bought a cell? But you're so cheap..."

"Sasori, just shut up and take it right now. Why I spent money on a phone is none of your concern right now. Use it to call Hidan's cell when you find him. Just hit the contacts button and find his number, kay?"

"Fine. Thanks, Kakuzu." Sasori slid the phone into his pocket and turned to leave.

"Hey."

Sasori sighed and turned back around. "What is it, Hidan?" he asked tiredly. He just want to find Deidara, and figure what had made him so upset.

"Bastard, when you find the brat, just get him to tell you whatever the fuck the matter is, okay? He needs to get back to his idiotic cheerfulness, even if it is annoying as all hell."

Sasori smiled to himself. Apparently even Hidan could care...

"Thanks, guys," Sasori said quickly, before starting to run down the dark streets, heading towards a more crowded neighborhood. It got brighter, more lights lining the streets, and Sasori had to slow down to a fast walk because of all the people.

He saw a crowd of people up ahead, and walked up, looking over someone's shoulder to see what was going on. A teen was lying on the ground, whimpering as someone tended to his shoulder.

"What happened to him?" he asked, tapping the person in front of him. A teen turned to face him, dressed as Batman.

"A chick dislocated his shoulder."

"I see. Look, that girl may have been one of my friends. She ran off and I'm looking for her," Sasori said, thinking it would be easier to just go with calling Deidara a girl in this situation. No point in just confusing this teen further, and risk finding out what happened to that blonde.

"Dude, you _know_ that chick?! She's seriously scary! But pretty...."

"Yes, yes, that's great. But what did she look like?"

"Oh yeah. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a blue strapless. And she had flowers in her hair. That sound familiar?"

Sasori smiled in the dim street lighting, relief flooding his body. "Yeah, that's her all right. Where did she go?"

"Headed towards the park, down that way," the teen said, jerking his head to the side.

"Thanks," Sasori said, stepping to the side.

"Dude, your friend is seriously _hot_ though."

"Yeah, she is quite pretty, isn't she?" Sasori said, before his eyes widened and he realized exactly what he said. He furiously shook his head, trying to keep from blushing. He took off down the street, not looking back. What did just _say_....?

He was nearing the park now, and he picked up his pace. He left the bustling streets, and entered the quiet, calm darkness of the playground. He looked around, and spotted the blonde sitting on a swing, studying the stars.

"Deidara!"

The blonde's eyes widened, and he looked down at Sasori, his eyes showing his shock. "S...Sasori?!"

Sasori ran over and kneeled in front of the blonde. "Why'd you run off like that?" he asked quietly.

Deidara looked away, blonde hair obscuring his face from Sasori's view. "It was nothing, un."

"It was something. You wouldn't have run off if it was nothing. Now what was Kenshin talking about? Come on, just tell me."

"Sasori, I can't." Deidara said sadly.

"You keep saying that. Deidara, it'll just be worse if you leave it alone. Now please just tell me."

"Are you sure you want to know, un?" Deidara asked quietly, looking at Sasori's face.

"Of course I do."

"Are you really sure?"

"Just tell me, Dei."

"Fine" Deidara stood up and walked six feet away, and stopped his back to Sasori. Sasori slowly got to his feet and looked at his friend. Then the blonde began to speak, and what he said changed both of their lives.

"You and Kenshin are cousins, un."

* * *

**Author's Comments: **Sorry for the wait on this, but the church camp has screwed with my head, making it hard to write.

On another note, this is my 50 deviation! So I'm happy about that. And I just realized how hungry I am, so I'm going to go get something to eat.


	19. Chapter 19

Sasori felt like his world was crashing down by his ears. He could only gape at Deidara in his shock, emotions in turmoil and he wasn't able to make sense of any of them. There was silence for a moment, with Sasori unable to do anything and Deidara facing away from him.

"What did you say?" Sasori asked finally, sure that he had heard it wrong. How on earth could he be related to Kenshin...?

"I just said Kenshin's your cousin, un."

"You're lying. You have to be," Sasori whispered, backing away. Deidara spun around and caught sight of the look on the red head's face. His azure eyes softened as he frowned. "Sasori, un. I'm telling the truth."

"No wonder you were so upset then," the red head whispered softly. "After all that he's done, after all those years....and he's my...cousin?"

"Yeah."

"When...when did you find out?"

"When you were in the hospital, un. Kenshin was there; apperently his dad told him to check on you or something."

"That was weeks ago. You feel the need to tell me now?!"

"I'm sorry, un! Kenshin made me keep quiet about it!"

"Look, Deidara. I need some time to think about this, but everybody else is freaking out because you left. "

Deidara blinked. Sasori was taking this rather well, considering that Deidara knew that Sasori hated Kenshin with a passion. Why was he so calm about it?

"I'm going to call Hidan," Sasori continued, pulling Kakuzu's cell from his pocket and flipping it open. "And you have to tell the others what you just told me."

"What?!"

"You heard me. I don't like it, knowing that I'm related to that bastard. But you have to tell them."

"But Sasori---"

"I mean it." Sasori frowned at the cell, the small eltronic lighting up his face in the darkness. "Here it is, finally," he muttered, clicking a button and moving the phone to his ear.

"Hidan? Hi, I found him. What? No, he's not. Stop swearing and let me speak...no, I already told you he's not crying...What? No, we're in the park, idiot. Stop yelling, you're hurting my eardrum...wha...? No. Just give the phone to Kakuzu, dammit. And quit swearing, you heathen. Look, I don't care, just give the phone to Kakuzu."

Deidara watched in mild intreast as Sasori swore loudly. "Kakuzu. Hi. Yeah, I found him. We're in a park by Mapleton. Yeah, I know. Alright. See you." Sasori sighed and snapped the phone shut. There was silence for a moment

"Well, un?" Deidara asked as Sasori rubbed at his face tiredly.

"Hidan is not the best person to answer the phone," he muttered, closing his eyes.

"I knew that, un. What did Kakuzu say?"

"He's calling Pein, and they'll be here soon."

"Ah."

"Deidara, why did you wait to tell me?" Sasori asked again after another moment of silence. Deidara looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"I thought it would hurt you, un." the blonde said simply. Sasori glanced at his friend. The moonlight was turning Deidara's long blonde hair into a halo that fluttered with the breeze, his azure eyes sad and peaceful. Sasori could only stare at him for a moment, before he felt his face flush and he looked away agin.

There was silence until Hidan and Kakuzu met them.

"Sasori!"

"DAMMIT ALL TO HELL, KAKUZU PUT ME DOWN!"

Sasori and Deidara spun around with wide eyes to see Kakuzu striding towards them, Hidan slung over one shoulder.

"And why are you carrying Hidan, un?" Deidara asked when Kakuzu neared them.

"He tripped on the hem of his dress and sprained his ankle."

"And then this mother fucking bastard decieded to _carry_ me!"

"Hidan, you couldn't walk on your own. Shut up. Now, why did you run off like that, Deidara?"

"HEY! YOU'RE IGNORING ME AGAIN, BASTARD!"

"Hidan, shut up, or I'll drop you."

Deidara looked away, biting his lip as he thought about what to say. Sasori noticed the look on Deidara's face, and spoke. "He'll tell you when the others get here. You called them, right?"

"Yeah, I did. Now give me back my cell."

"Sorry." Sasori took the phone out of his pocket and passed it back to Kakuzu, who took it with a quiet thank you. Hidan grumbled from Kakuzu's shoulder, and the miser swung him off his shoulder and put him on the ground. Hidan frowned and winced, sliding his arm around Kakuzu's shoulders to advoid putting weight on his ankle.

"Kisame and Itachi should be here in a moment...they weren't too far away from here," the banker muttered, helping Hidan find his balance.

Just as he said that, Itachi and Kisame entered the park. Itachi's hair was mussed, and Kisame looked worried. They spotted Deidara and ran over. "What the hell were you thinking?!" Kisame demanded, stopping in front of Deidara.

"Don't you dare do that _ever_ again," Itachi added, his eyes flashing scarlet.

"I'm sorry, un!"

"THERE HE IS!" they looked up, eyes widening. "Oh shit, it's Konan, un."

"Back away, everybody," Kakuzu advised, taking a few steps back.

"Why?" asked Sasori as he stepped away from Deidara.

"Konan...she's scary when she wants to be."

A moment later, Konan was holding onto Deidara's ponytail and yelling her head off at him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! YOU JUST RAN OFF, NO WARNING, LEAVING US WITH NO CLUE WHAT'S GOING ON, IN A DRESS! YOU LOOK LIKE A CHICK, YOU DISLOCATED SOMEONE'S SHOULDER, AND SCARED THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF US!" the woman screamed in his face.

"Konan, calm down please," Pein said nervously, putting on hand on the woman's shoulder.

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!"

"**She's even scarier than Tobi at times.**" Zetsu muttered, dragging Tobi behind him and walking to stand behind Kakuzu.

"NOW TELL US WHAT IS GOING ON!" Konan screamed at Deidara, her face red.

"Ow! I will, just let go of my-ow!-hair, un!"

"Sorry." Konan released her grip. Deidara muttered to himself, pulling his hands through his hair, a pain look on his face.

"Fine, I'll tell you, un."

* * *

**Author's Comments: **Yeah, hi. It's done. I spent a stupid amount of time on this, seeing how short it is.

Whatever. My head hurts. And someone can kill me now. I did a lousy job with this part.


	20. Chapter 20

"Konan, you can let go of my hair now, un."

"No. I'm keeping ahold of it until you're done telling us what upset you so much."

"I promise to not run off, un!"

"That's what you said when we were trying to get you to tell your crush in sixth grade that you liked them and you ran off for a week. No."

"Fine then, un. I hate you, Konan."

"Alright then," Pein said. They were sitting on the ground, still in the playground. Konan had a tight grip on the ends of Deidara's long hair. Deidara was sitting crossed legged, his arms crossed over his chest and a sulky look on his face as he glared at Konan.

"What are you going to ask first, un?" the blonde asked, uncrossing his arms and trailing one finger in the dirt.

"Who made you so upset?" Kisame asked, wrapping his arms around around Itachi. The weasel was shivering from the cold, his lips turning blue. Kisame sighed and drew the Uchiha close to his body, Itachi snuggling into his side.

"...un." Deidara muttered, looking at the stars, a stony expression on his face.

"Deidara, you have to answer," Konan hissed, tightening her grip on Deidara's hair.

"OW! Konan, that really hurts, un!"

"Are you gonna talk?"

"Yes, un! Now let go of my hair!" Konan hissed again and yanked on the blonde strands. Deidara yelped and pressed a hand to his head. "Fine, don't let go then, un! Just stop pulling!"

"Konan, if we want the bastard to talk, you'll have to be fucking nice!"

"You're one to talk, Hidan."

"Shut up, you fucking miser."

"Konan, please," Pein muttered, drawing his hand through his shock of orange hair, a tired expression on his face. Konan growled again but relaxed her grip.

"Alright, thank you Pein, un."

"If you don't talk I'll let her rip your hair out."

"Meep...Alright, it was Kenshin. Kenshin Meadin, un."

"**We all know who Kenshin is by this point! **" Zetsu snapped, an arm around Tobi's waist to prevent him from running off after the squirrels that were racing around the edge of the park.

"Okay, that's one question answered...and what was he doing?" Kisame asked, trying to keep everyone calm.

"Being nasty to Sasori as usual, un."

"And was that was upset you?" Kakuzu asked, keeping a tight grip on Hidan's arm.

"...No, un..."

"Well then what the fuck was it?"

"Language, Hidan..."

"Fuck you."

"So what was it, then?" Itachi cut in smoothly, just as Kakuzu opened his mouth for another retort.

"You know when I was in the hospital from that beating Kenshin gave me?" Sasori asked, cutting in after Deidara had drawn a blank and was unable to think of anything to say.

"Hell yeah, cause that blonde bastard made us visit you! Of course we fucking remember!"

"Hidan..."

"Well, I had visited Sasori the day before you guys came with me, un. And Kenshin was there when I got to the hospital."

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL WAS THAT BASTARD DOING THERE?!" Hidan screamed at the top of his voice. Deidara winced from the volume, and Sasori flinched, drawing himself backwards.

"Hidan, there's little kids around this area. Shut up." Kakuzu ordered, clamping a hand over Hidan's mouth. The silver haired teen glowered at him for a moment, the bit down.

"OW! Don't do that!"

"Continuing with what we were saying before, Kenshin was there, un. I was angry that he was there after he put Sasori in the hospital, so I attacked him and made him tell me why he was there, un," Deidara said loudly, trying to talk over Hidan and Kakuzu's bickering.

"And what did he say?" Kisame asked, eyes wide.

"...Do I have to say it, un?"

"Yes you do, or you die," Konan growled in the blonde's ear. Deidara's face paled, his eyes wide.

"I...I'll talk...."

"Good boy," Konan said, an evil smile on her face.

"Sempai's a good boy like Tobi!"

"Tobi, SHUT UP!" Pein yelled at the masked teen.

"Alright...Kenshin told me he was there because his dad wanted him to check and see how Sasori was doing, un," Deidara muttered quietly, so quietly Sasori almost missed it.

"And why the hell does that bastard's dad give a fuck about Sasori?" Hidan asked, eyes narrowed.

"Un...He...he's..."

"He's my cousin," Sasori said simply, finally realizing Deidara was struggling to say it.

There was total silence for a moment while everyone took a moment to process that thought. Even Hidan was speechless for once.

"What? You're joking, right?" Kisame asked finally.

"I wish I were," Sasori mumbled, drawing a hand through his vivid red hair.

"You're related to that bastard?!"

"Hidan, I think we've established the fact that yes, he is, by now," Kakuzu said.

"Screw that."

"How could we have not noticed this before?" Itachi muttered. "You look slightly alike."

"You do," Konan said, her eyes wide as she stared at Sasori.

"That sucks, man..." Kisame said. "He's been beating you for years, and then you find out he's your cousin?"

"And the only family I have left."

"What do you mean?" Kakuzu asked.

"You guys don't know? My mom died back when I was in seventh grade," Sasori said, looking around at his friends.

"What about your dad?" Pein asked.

"Ran off before I was born."

"Who do you live with?!" Kisame asked, eyes wide.

"I live by myself."

"How long have you been on your own?"

"Since seventh grade."

"Has your dad ever contacted you?" Zetsu asked.

"No...never heard from him. I don't even really know his name. My mom never talked about him."

"And his dad's part of the reason Kenshin hates him so much, un. Kenshin's dad and Sasori's were brothers, and Kenshin is pissed he never got the chance to meet Dachi."

"Dachi?" Tobi asked, a confused look on his face.

"That's Sasori's dad's name, un," Deidara explained.

"Dude, your cousin is seriously screwed up," Hidan muttered, lavender eyes wide.

"Yeah..."

There was another moment of silence. Everyone was thinking, trying to take in what Sasori and Deidara had just told them.

"Hey, bastard? Can I sacrifice Kenshin to Jashin?" Hidan asked finally.

"And why do you want to do that?" Sasori asked.

"Cause it's seems like your life has been pretty fucked up so far, and that bastard's not helping it any."

Sasori blinked. Hidan was by far kinder than he seemed, to be trying to help someone he hardly knew.

"And why do you want to do that?" the red head asked.

"Cause we're your friends, dumbass. Helping each other is what friends do, right?"

Sasori drew a blank, and his mouth dropped open. "What did you say?" he asked.

"He just said we're your friends. And now that I think about it, it's true," Itachi said

"Yeah. Welcome to our group, Sasori," Pein said.

Sasori could only sit there in his shock. He had friends. For the first time in his life, he had friends. And it felt really good, to have people who admitted that they were friends with the outcast Sasori Akasuna. He grinned suddenly, his red eyes lighting up.

"Thanks, guys."

* * *

**Author's Comments: **Yeah, Sasori has friends now!

I'm sorry for the wait, my computer has....issues with me right now.

I think I managed to put hints of KisaIta, some KakuHidan and maybe a bit of ZetsuTobi, but I probably failed with the last one, lol.

Yep, I like this chapter.

R&R, and enjoy!


	21. Chapter 21

Time passed by, and Sasori got to know his friends better. After they figured out that Sasori wasn't really all that bad, they opened up to him more, defended more, and joked with him. Like with Itachi and Hidan. He learned they both liked sweets, and often stole the stuff from each other every chance they got. This often resulted in long arguments, with Hidan being restrained by Kakuzu and Kisame holding on to Itachi.

Tobi was one person to not give sugar, he found out the hard way. Zetsu had made a mistake and had allowed the boy to eat a sugar packet one day. The janitor was still cleaning up the cafeteria two weeks later, and Tobi had found himself with a week long suspension, after he hurled a pot of stew at Tsunade when she came to see what all the noise was about.

Kisame and Kakuzu were the larger people in the group, and if you messed with Itachi or Hidan you were bound to get hurt somehow. Sasori also learned that Kakuzu was good at sewing, which Hidan had told him about with much laughter. Kakuzu had turned red at Hidan's words and thrown him out of the window.

Pein and Konan lived together, and Konan seemed to delight in tormenting Itachi, Hidan and Deidara, by painting their nails bright pink or making Hidan go to school with his hair in pigtails or some other funny thing.

Hidan liked pain and getting hurt. Sasori had been shocked the first time he saw Hidan jump out of a third story window, during the middle of science class. Sasori had had his schedule changed so it was Kenshin-free, and now he had every class with at least one of his friends. He was with Hidan and Kisame for science now, and one class Hidan had just thrown open the window and jumped out. No one else paid much mind to it, and soon Hidan's crazy antics were no long noticeable.

Kenshin seemed to back off for a while, leaving Sasori alone. If Naoki approached the red head, he was quickly "dealt with" by one of Sasori's friends. Sasori had been talking to Hidan one time when Naoki started giving him a hard time about his puppets, when Hidan had whirled around and slammed his fist into Naoki's face, sending him flying down the hallway.

Hidan was not to be trifled with, and it was surprising that he needed Kakuzu to help him with fights, he was such a good fighter.

Life was getting better for Sasori, and the first time he had shown his friends one of his puppets, they had been impressed. Even Hidan had something kind to say about them. Most people just laughed at Sasori's puppets, saying how weird it was that a boy could make something like that.

His friends had liked them though, and when Sasori started his next few puppets he had purposefully made them look like his friends. Soon, he had finished the puppets of Konan, Zetsu, Kisame and Hidan, and was working on the one of Tobi.

Deidara seemed happier, and he always had his goofy grin on his face. But Sasori noticed when the blonde wasn't laughing cheerfully or talking, he got a broody look on his face, his eyes clouded. Whenever Sasori asked what was the matter,the bomber would start and bring his grin to his face, replying almost instantly that he was fine.

Then he would look away again, eyes still sad and confused, and if it was Sasori he had been talking to, his face would turn red, his eyes alight with embarrassment.

All Sasori wanted to know was what else could be the matter. The others were noticing it as well. Hidan would give the blonde long stares, and when the blonde noticed, they would almost instantly get into fights about weather something was wrong or not. Itachi would just watch the bomber out of the corner of his eye; Kakuzu and Kisame were more direct and would just ask the blonde flat out if something was going on.

Tobi, being Tobi, never noticed something was wrong, and went on with his mindless chatter. Sasori swore that the masked teen had been put on earth just to irritated him some days.

Pein and Konan would just watch the blonde, then give each other knowing looks, hiding their smiles behind their hands. More than once, Sasori wonder what exactly Pein and Konan knew. And why weren't they telling him?

Even weekends were more fun. Instead of hiding out in his trailer, working on puppets all weekend long, he joined his friends. They did everything, including blowing up an ATM, after it had refused Hidan's (stolen) credit card. Hidan had gotten furious and had grabbed a bomb from Deidara, setting it on top of the ATM before dragging Kakuzu away, the rest of the group following with bemused expressions.

Deidara had started laughing hysterically when the ATM was blown sky high, his body falling to the ground, clutching at his sides as tears leaked from his eyes. Sasori had to literally carry the blonde away before the cops got there, he was laughing so hard.

Deidara had shut up the moment Sasori had slung him over his shoulder, his eyes wide and face red. The small red head was stronger than he looked, to be able to carry the slightly taller blonde like he did. Deidara had been impressed. Sasori looked so small...but to be able to carry him like that, Deidara found he was surprised that Sasori couldn't defend himself from Kenshin.

He had offered to teach the blonde some kickboxing soon after he figured out how strong the red head really was, and Sasori had readily agreed. He spent an hour with the blonde everyday at Deidara's house after school, learning basic punches and kicks. Deidara was also surprised how quickly the red head took to it, and soon Deidara figured that the red head could handle maybe three to four attackers on his own; if he was pushed, he might be able to deal with five.

Deidara enjoyed this time, just going over with Sasori the correct way to do a roundhouse or a cross jab. Sasori rarely asked questions, and he worked hard. Sasori also enjoyed the time he spent with the blonde, although he'd never admit it. Deidara seemed calmer, and happier, somehow, when he was working with him, and it made Sasori work harder, kick faster and punch with more force.

Afterwards, he'd borrow Deidara's shower and change into clean clothing, then work on homework with the bomber. Sometimes, Sasori was invited to stay for dinner, and he readily accepted. Deidara's family was very warm and kind, and they had interesting, lively conversations every time. Sasori found himself slowly forgetting the times he had been hated and beaten daily.

People were warming up to him, and one day Sakura Haruno, the pink haired girl from Hoshi's party, asked to see Sasori's puppets. She had raised an eyebrow, but had smiled at him and said it was obvious he had a talent with woodwork.

Everything was looking up, until the day Sasori and his friends went downtown one day. Kenshin and his group had cornered them, forcing them into an alley, and tried to force them to leave Sasori and go.

And then Sasori realized how much his friends cared for him, when they refused and took up their fighting stances.

And he realized he was grateful to them.

Grateful they changed his life.

And now he had to help protect them, against his own cousin.

* * *

**Author's Comments: **Yep, I left you with another cliffhanger.

Suffer and deal with it, you're lucky I was awake enough to write this.

Yeah, it's short. Bite me.

R&R, and enjoy!


	22. Chapter 22

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP...

Sasori groaned, flipping over onto his side and grabbing his alarm clock. He picked it up and hurled it against the wall, listening with an certain happiness as the annoying beeping died away. There was silence for a moment.

Then his red eyes flew open and he shot up, looking at his watch, his eyes widening.

"Shit, I'm late!" Sasori cursed, jumping out of bed and stumbling forward, smacking his head on a shelf.

"OW!"

The red head swore again as he pushed a hand to his head, kneeling on the floor while trying to rub out the pain. "Ow, that hurt...."

It dulled after a moment, and Sasori was on his feet in an instant, dashing around his small rooming, grabbing clothes as he quickly pulled his pj's off and slamming them over his head. Still grumbling, he opened his door and dashed down the narrow hallway, entering his cramped kitchen.

His keys were lying on the table, and he snatched them up and stuffed them into his pocket, grabbing a piece of bread off the counter before darting out the door.

He was halfway down the street when he realized he had forgotten to lock the trailer.

"SHIT!"

Sasori spun around and sprinted back, jamming the key into the lock until her heard it click.

"Thank you!" he muttered, stuffing the keys back into his pocket as he turned around again and dashed down the street. Being early in the morning, all of the other inhabitants where asleep, and the park was filled with a peaceful quiet that rarely came to Sasori's area.

Sasori paid little mind to it, focusing on meeting his friends in time.

"Hidan's going to kill me," he muttered.

* * *

"I'm going to fucking kill you, bastard!" Hidan yelled.

"I knew it," Sasori muttered, bending over as he gasped at the fresh air. He had been running for the last twenty minutes to meet up with his friends before they got too mad, and it seemed that he had caused Hidan's already short temper to flare, just because he was five minutes late.

"Hidan, he's not that late. Be a good boy and don't get mad," Tobi begged, his only eye visible through the eye hole on his mask, wide and pleading.

"Shut it, prep."

"Tobi is nothing like a prep! **Well, that's not entirely true...he is a bit preppy....** Alright, you have some point, but he's not a prep! **Don't deny it, he is one.** No, he's not!"

"Zetsu, please stop arguing with yourself. People are giving us weird looks," Pein cut in over Zetsu.

"It's not my fault! He won't shut up! **Hey, you're arguing back; you can't dump all the blame on me!**"

"What are we doing today, un?" Deidara asked, whacking Sasori on the back as the red head coughed. Sasori growled at his friend, and the blonde gave him a flash of a smile before turning his attention back to the group.

"Not blowing up an ATM, for one thing," Kakuzu said, looking at Hidan with a smirk.

"It was fucking hilarious!" Hidan yelled, twisting to face his best friend.

"I won't deny that. But we can't be getting in trouble today," Kakuzu told his friend calmly.

"Ooo! Ooo! Tobi has an idea! Pick Tobi, pick Tobi!" the masked teen yelled, jumping up and down, his hand raised.

"Yes, Tobi, what is it?" Konan asked the boy tiredly.

"Tobi thinks that maybe we could go to the zoo!"

"No, we're not doing that," Pein said hurriedly. "Didn't they ban you from going there, Tobi?"

"Yep! That's part of the reason why Tobi wears Tobi's mask!"

"He's been banned from the zoo?" Sasori asked, straightening up, his breathing regular once again.

"Yeah. It's a long story, we'll tell you later," Kisame told him, smiling.

"He's also been banned from WaterWorld, the aquarium, some movie theater, a supermarket, and I believe he's also not allowed in Hot Topic," Itachi said, looking up at the sky.

"Tobi is banned from Hot Topic! Itachi is right!"

"What did you do there?" Sasori asked as the group started walking along the street.

"Tobi thought the colors of the clothing weren't happy colors, so he broke in during the night and dyed everything happy colors!" Tobi told him cheerfully. Sasori could almost see the grin on his face, and rolled his eyes.

"Ooo! Look, I need that shirt!" Konan squealed after a moment of silence, pointing towards a shop. She grabbed Pein's arm and dragged him behind her, entering the shop. The teen silently mouthed _help me_ before he was pulled inside. The group watched in bemused silence.

"Well, I think that solves the problem of what we're doing right now," Kakuzu said after a moment, and they followed Konan into the shop.

* * *

"Konan, what is with you and shopping?" Itachi asked, watching Pein, who was carrying six bags and a box. Sasori tapped his shoulder a took two of the bags from the auburn haired boy, and Deidara grabbed the box.

"Thanks, guys," Pein said gratefully.

"No more shopping," Kakuzu told the girl firmly.

"Aww...but it's so much fun!"

"I don't think Pein feels that way," Itachi muttered, watching as Pein tried to adjust his grip of the four bags he had left.

"Hey, Tobi sees something!"

"What is it, Tobi?, un" Deidara asked, tucking the box under his arm.

"Isn't that Kenshin and Kenshin's friends?"

* * *

**Author's Comments:** Ja, I kinda am messing with you now. I hope no one got too confused with how this one was written, but I felt the need to back up a bit.

I'm pretty sure I would be banned from a fine pottery store, so that's where that idea came from.

Not that anyone in their right minds is ever letting me into one.


	23. Chapter 23

"Crap, un. What do we do?" Deidara asked, eyes wide as he studied Kenshin and his rather large group of cronies, Naoki among them.

"Maybe they're just out shopping," Kisame said hopefully.

"I dunno about that," Itachi muttered. "Look, they're watching us."

"This can't be good," Pein said. Konan nodded in agreement, gray eyes wide.

"Hey, if they mess with, can I sacrifice the bastards?"

"Hidan, people tend to get nervous if you kill someone in the middle of town," Kakuzu said wearily, eyes on Hidan as the silver haired teen drew a shining knife.

"Jashin dammit, we need to take revenge for what they've been doing to Sasori!" Hidan yelled, but allowing the miser to pry the knife from his fingers. Kakuzu promptly threw it into the nearest trash can.

"Hey, that knife was fucking expensive!"

"You have six others like it."

"Guys, let's pay attention to the issue at hand now," Sasori cut in, motioning to Kenshin. Hidan and Kakuzu glanced up to see Kenshin pointing at them, and talking in a low voice to his group.

"I wonder what their plan is," Itachi whispered.

"I'll bet it'll have something to do with beating the shit out of us," Hidan muttered. "Hey, wait, why is that bastard coming over here?"

Kenshin was striding towards them, his hair pulled back by the breeze. He stopped in front of Pein.

"Pein Stechen, right?" he asked, hands on his hips as he watched the leader out of gray red eyes. Kakuzu had an arm around Hidan's waist, to prevent him from trying to kill the taller teen. Tobi was growling, and Itachi looked ready to gut him. Deidara was pale, his eyes hard and cold.

"What do you want, bastard?" Pein asked, dropping his bags and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Not polite at all, are we?"

"Tell us what you want, or I let go of Hidan," Kakuzu threated.

"To the point then. My friends and I bored."

"Your point?"

"We want to have some fun with Sasori. Will you let us borrow him?"

There was silence for a moment.

"What the hell makes you think we're letting him go with you?!" Hidan yelled finally, wrenching his arm free from Kakuzu and grabbing Kenshin's collar, lifting the teen into the air. A crowd was forming around them now, whispers clearly heard.

"A fight? Oh dear."

"Honey, let's get the kids away from here."

"Yes, let's. Come on, Hiro, Ritsu. Let's go away from the insane teenagers."

"Isn't that Kenshin Meadin? And Pein Stechen? I heard they both are good fighters."

"Isn't that puny kid a Jashinist? Man, those people are insane."

"We'll fight you, then," Kenshin said, smiling. Being held six inches off the ground by a violent maniac didn't seem to faze him in the least.

"And if we win?" Pein asked, forcing Hidan to let go and allow Kenshin to drop back to the pavement.

"We'll leave Sasori alone. However, if we win.." Kenshin paused, eyes conceited and self satisfied.

"Yes?" Pein asked.

"You leave Sasori. You let us beat up on him, you don't talk to him, ever."

"No!" The group turned to face Sasori. His eyes were wide, and he was pale. "No, you can't! I'll just go with them; I'll be fine!"

"What makes you think were letting you get hurt, un?!" Deidara yelled.

"Sasori, it's fine," Kisame said reassuringly.

"No, it's not! You guys are the first friends I ever had, and I'm not willing to let this happen!"

"Sasori, calm down. We'll win," Pein said, trying to calm the teen. He turned to face Kenshin again.

"We accept your challenge."

"No!"

"Sasori, there's no way we're letting you get hurt! Just shut up!" Pein yelled.

"And you guys'll get hurt if you fight them!"

"We'll be fine!"

"Meet me and my friends in that abandoned lot off of Meadows in a half hour," Kenshin continued, ignoring Sasori's pleas. "May the best man win."

"We intend to."

Kenshin gave them one last smirk before walking off.

There was silence for another moment before Pein began to speak.

"Well, we have half and hour to prepare. What do we need?"

"Can I get a knife?"

"No, Hidan."

"How about a gun?"

"No, Hidan."

"A grenade?"

"I think you know the answer to that, Hidan."

"Yes?"

"No!"

"Jashin dammit."

"I can't let you do this!" Sasori yelled angrily.

"Sasori, we're not letting you get hurt, un. We'll deal with him," Deidara said, giving him a small smile, blue eyes soft.

"I can't let you do this."

"Well, we're gonna do it anyway, un."

"If any of you get hurt, I'm never going to forgive myself," Sasori whispered, staring into the eyes of his best friend.

"Then I guess we can't get hurt, un."

"Hey, let's get some sugar for that bastard Tobi!"

"**ARE YOU INSANE?!**"

"Yep!"

"** I knew it...**"

"That's not a half bad idea, giving Tobi sugar," Pein muttered. "Alright, go gather some stuff. Dei, get some bombs. Itachi, get your weasels. Zetsu, go find a donut store and buy a dozen, and take Tobi with you. Buy a soda as well. Maybe some coffee. Kisame..."

"I'll get my piranhas!"

"That's a good thing to get. Hidan, yes, you can get a knife. Kakuzu, go with him to make sure he doesn't get anything more lethal than that. Sasori, get one of your puppets, the one with the blades. And we'll see you at the lot in twenty minutes!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Move out!"

* * *

**Author's Comments:** Yay, time for a fight!

It's late, my head hurts, and if I want to update tomorrow, I should go to bed now.

Yeah.

Hidan like weapons like me, lol. I love knives and swords.

I had fun with this part, but it took a stupid amount of time to write, Jashin dammit.


	24. Chapter 24

"Hey! Sasori, un!"

Sasori looked up from the sidewalk, clutching the puppet to his chest as he ran. He could see the empty lot up ahead. Deidara was already there and he was waving at him. Sasori screeched to a halt in front of him, panting and pushing the hair from his eyes.

"Where's everyone else?" he gasped, bending over, hands on his hips.

"Zetsu and Tobi should be here in a moment, un!"

"DEIDARA SEMPAI!" Deidara was suddenly thrown to the ground by a rainbow blur.

"OW! ZETSU, UN!"

"**Tobi, don't do that**" Zetsu ordered, coming into view. He had a box in one hand, and a can in the other. "Tobi, come here now, or no donuts."

"Yay! Tobi likes donuts!" Tobi yelled, jumping to feet and running to Zetsu, leaving Deidara groaning on the ground. "When can Tobi have one?"

"People have let Tobi eat donuts before, un?"

"**As soon as the nice people who want to kill us get here, Tobi, you can have one.**" Zetsu told the boy, hiding the box behind his back.

"Hey, assholes!"

"And there Hidan, un," Deidara muttered, getting to his feet and glancing over as Kakuzu and Hidan ran up to them. In Hidan's hand was a shining dagger, the hilt decorate with wolves and a eagles. His lavender eyes gleamed wickedly, a crazy smile already on his.

"Where's everyone else?" Kakuzu asked. "And, Hidan, you're not allowed to stab someone unless one of us is near death, alright?"

"WHAT?! But that takes all the fun out of it, bastard!"

"Hidan, shut up. Itachi and Kisame should be here in a moment..." Sasori's words faded away as Kisame ran into the lot, heading for the small, slow running stream in the back of it, a fish bowl in his hand, which he dumped into the water with a smile.

"Hey Hidan, if you want blood, just throw someone into here, kay?"

"Finally! Thanks, bastard!"

"Hey, Itachi! You get your weasels?" Kisame asked, waving as the Uchiha entered, a bored look on his face and a sack in his hand.

"Yes, I have all twenty of them." Itachi said, setting the sack on the ground and glancing over at the empty fishbowl in Kisame's hands. "Your fish are in that stream, right?"

"Yeah."

"Now we're just waiting on Pein and Konan..." Kakuzu began, just as the two teens dashed into the lot, not holding anything except for a few darts, which Sasori noticed where dripping with something. Poison darts, then.

"Now, we're all here. Are we ready?" Pein asked.

"Yes, sir!" Everyone yelled, holding their weapons in the air. Sasori looked around his friends again. If they lost....no, he couldn't think about that...

They would win. They had to.

Sasori was ready to fight to defend them, and now, he would have to.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Kenshin asked with a smirk. His cronies stood behind him. There were a lot of them, somewhere around thirty people. Sasori gulped, and Deidara slipped his hand into his to give it a small squeeze, eyes on the others.

"Sure we are. The question is, are you?" Pein asked with a smile.

"Then I believe talking is no longer necessary, is it?" Kenshin said loudly. "Let's fight!"

"Zetsu!" Just as people from the other side began to make moves to run at them, Zetsu handed Tobi a donut and a soda. They were gone in a flash, and for a second, both groups stared at the masked teen, wondering what was going on.

"TOBIISAGOODBOYANDTOBIWANTSTOPLAY!" Tobi yelled at the top of his voice, hurling himself at Naoki, sending the teen flying. Sasori didn't think it was possible for anyone to yell that loudly; his eardrums were ringing from the shock.

"Attack!" Pein yelled.

Hidan immediately ran forward and hit a girl in the face, then dropped to a squat and kicking out one leg to trip another teen. Kakuzu began fighting with another tall boy, both trying to land a punch of the other.

Itachi bent down and untied the sack. Sasori heard him whisper something as he dashed by. It sounded like "Now be good, and don't attack my friends, alright?" With that, the Uchiha dropped the sack, and weasels spilled from it, heading for the other teen, and all twenty launched themselves into the air to land on a kid named Tobin. Tobin screamed.

"Oh my god, WEASELS!" he yelled, trying to pry one off his head and another off his legs.

"Yes, weasels are quite nice, aren't they?" Itachi asked with a smile, getting to his feet. "Especially their teeth."

Tobin screamed again and dashed out of the lot, weasels flying off him as he went.

"Itachi, duck!" Kisame yelled as a teen threw a punch at the weasel. Itachi dropped down, put his hands on the ground and launched himself into a handstand, his feet meeting with the teen's chin and sending him flying. He pushed himself off his hands and landed on his feet, smiling for an instant at Kisame before running off to find someone else to fight.

Sasori allowed himself to smile for a instant as he ducked and weaved, the teen in front of him clearly desperate to punch him, and wondering why Sasori could fight so well. Sasori used a roundhouse kick on him, his leg meeting with the side of the teen's body and sending him to the ground, where he lay groaning and clutching at his side. Sasori took a moment to look around and see how his friends were holding up.

Itachi was directing his weasels at another teen, and Tobi was randomly crashing into people, sometimes biting them. Kakuzu was helping Hidan fend off about nine kids at once, Kisame was throwing people into the stream. The tortured screams coming from the teens were entertaining, to say the least.

"OH MY GOD, THESE FISHIES HAVE TEETH?!"

"HELP ME, I CAN'T SWIM!"

"ACK! PIRANHAS?!"

Kisame laughed as he threw another teen into the stream. Pein and Konan were ducking and weaving as Kenshin threw punch after punch at them. Zetsu was munching on someone's arm as the person screamed bloody murder, trying to wrench their arm away from the cannibal.

Sasori looked towards Deidara last, almost afraid of what he'd see. Deidara was fighting four people at once, and holding up pretty, well. As Sasori watched, he landed a punch on someone's jaw, sending them flying backwards. The blonde flashed a grin and Sasori, and the red head smiled back before twisting around to punch a kid in the face.

"HEY, YOU CAN'T USE KNIVES, BASTRADS!" He heard Hidan yelled. He couldn't see what was going on, two other kids had come up to help their friend against Sasori.

"KAKUZU!" Sasori whipped around. Kakuzu was holding his cheek, blood dripping between his fingers, and as Sasori watched, another teen cut open his other cheek, then his are, then a gash on his stomach. Hidan was shaking with anger, and he launched himself at the teen, leaving Kakuzu to try and mop up the blood.

Sasori heard a cry from Deidara, and found the blonde. A girl was holding onto his hair, and he had a knife in one hand.

And that was the last thing Sasori remembered before everything went red, except for one thought.

_ No good ever come from being close to me, and now....Kakuzu is bleeding, and Deidara is in trouble....why...?_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Comments:** I recommend that you listen to this song while you read, it fits with it pretty well. It's what I was listening to while writing this.

(Tragedy by Celldweller)

I really like the song, and the chorus fits with this pretty well.


	25. Chapter 25

"SASORI!"

Sasori couldn't think, couldn't see anything but red...all red, bloody red. He couldn't even feel anything, couldn't hear, couldn't do anything.

When he came to, he realized his hands and body were covered in blood.

Deep red blood, dripping off his hands to the grass. Kenshin and his cronies lay on the ground all around him. He dimly realized there was blood all over body as well, and some of the unconscious teens had deep gashes in their bodies, their life's blood dripping out in a slow, steady rhythm.

"Sasori, un..." Sasori looked up from his shaking blood stained hands. He felt something creeping his way down his cheek. Deidara was watching him with wide blue eyes. Everyone's eyes were on him, Kakuzu sitting on the ground, hands on his cheeks, Hidan besides him, just sitting there, watching Sasori with wide eyes. Itachi and Kisame were dumbfounded, Pein and Konan pale and clearly having no idea what to do.

Tobi was the only one not paying attention and was laughing as Itachi's weasels tried to chew his arm off. Zetsu was absentmindedly munching on someone's leg as he kept his golden gaze on the red head.

"Sasori..." Deidara whispered again, taking a step towards him and reaching out one hand.

Sasori jerked his body back, droplets of blood falling from him to the ground. Deidara looked at him again with sad and wide eyes.

Sasori looked away from the blonde, at the ground, where saw Kenshin lying. The boy had a deep wound over his heart, and although he was breathing, it was ragged and harsh.

"What did I do....?" Sasori whispered, his body shaking. "What happened? What did I do?" he asked, his forehead furrowing as he looked towards his friends.

"You snapped," Kisame said gently. "You took out everyone else on your own. They never stood a chance."

Sasori was trembling harder by this time. "I...I did this?" he asked, his voice shaking.

Slowly, Deidara nodded. Sasori's red eyes grew wide.

"I did this? I couldn't have..."

"You did," Itachi whispered.

"It was kinda scary," Kisame said. "Your eyes were glowing and you just set your puppet off. You got Kenshin pretty badly."

Sasori looked back at hos hands. The blood on them gleamed in the sunlight.

"Sasori, un..." Deidara whispered, placing a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "It's fine, un."

"No, it is NOT fine!" Sasori yelled suddenly, jerking back out of Deidara's grip. The blonde's eyes widened as he saw Sasori's face. Tears were slowly making their way down the red head face, mingling with the blood.

"Kenshin challenges us to a fight, Kakuzu gets all cut up, you nearly get cut up, I nearly killed everyone, and now you're telling me it's fine! It is NOT fine!" the red head yelled.

With that, Sasori turned around and fled from the lot, eyes burning, leaving his friends to stare at his disappearing figure with wide eyes.

It was all his fault, and the red head knew it wasn't fine.

Wasn't that the way life always was?

* * *

**Author's Comments:** wow, this one is short.

Sasori feels guilty now, and who knows what's gonna happen to all the teens? He nearly killed Kenshin (that should make you happy, Kenshin haters)

I'm not pleased with this chapter, mainly cause my computer is still play Walking on Sunshine, and it's messing me up, so that's where the Tobi thing came from.

whatever. I hope you like it.


	26. Chapter 26

Deidara started after Sasori after a moment of shocked silence. He didn't want to think of what the red head might do.

"Deidara, wait!" Deidara stopped and looked over his shoulder to see Kisame and Itachi getting to their feet. Itachi was pale, black eyes determined. Kisame looked startled, his hair mussed. "You're going after Sasori, right? We'll come with you."

Deidara blinked, then slowly shook his head. "No, I'll just go alone. You should call an ambulance and get everyone to the hospital."

"Will you be fine on your own?" Itachi asked, brushing his black hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah, un. I'll call you once I get him to calm down."

"You're being rather optimistic there, Dei," Pein said. Deidara smiled and tilted his head to the side.

"Aren't I always, un?" With that, the blonde had turned around and was dashing down the sunlit street, after his best friend.

Pein glanced around the others, sighing. "I suppose we should Kenshin and his cronies to the hospital; some one might get mad if we leave them here."

"What, you mean I can't sacrifice the bastards?!"

"Hidan, is that all you ever think about?"

"No. I also think of what I'm gonna eat for dinner, dumbass."

"Is that it?"

"Yep."

"You're such a simple minded idiot."

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT, BASTARD?!"

"Hey, Itachi, did your weasels get their shots?"

"I think so. Why?"

"Cause one of them is trying to eat someone's kidney."

"Oh dear. Marianna, you can stop that now, we're done fighting."

"HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS..."

"OW! ITACHI!"

"No biting the shark."

"Can Tobi have another donut?"

"**Do you think we're suicidal, you idiot**?"

"Are good boys suicidal?"

"I hope Sasori's okay," Konan whispered, oblivious to the sounds of Kakuzu and Hidan arguing. She was looking down the street the blonde and red head had gone down, a sad expression on her face.

"He will, with Deidara there," Pein told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and flipping open his cell phone to dial 911.

* * *

Deidara followed the blood, oblivious to everything else. It was making it's way around the edges of town; he was guessing Sasori didn't want people to see him.

He was heading towards a small lake now. Maybe the red head gone there wash off the blood? The crimson liquid mixed with the sandy ground and formed tiny bloody balls. Deidara pressed on, dashing along the trees at the edge of the lake, eyes fixed ahead. He saw a figure sitting beneath a tree, curled into a tiny ball.

_Sasori...._Deidara's blue eyes softened as he stopped besides his friend and he kneeled, placing one hand on Sasori's shoulder.

"Sasori, un..." he whispered softly. The red head didn't look up at him, but tilted his head so it was facing the other.

"Deidara, just go away," he mumbled.

"Sasori, everyone will be fine, un," Deidara said softly.

"You can't promise that," came the muffled rely.

"Sasori, please. Everyone is worried about you, un."

"Deidara, go away."

Deidara was getting close to losing his patience by now. "Sasori, please, come on. It's not your fault."

"It's not my fault?! It's not my _fault_?! I nearly killed them, Deidara!" Sasori yelled, jerking his head up, crimson eyes meeting sapphire. "It is my fault, you stupid brat!"

"Oh, so now I'm a brat, huh, un?!

'Yes, you are! I told, leave me alone, you dammed brat!"

"We're worried about you, Sasori, un!"

"And you shouldn't be, because if it wasn't for me, Kenshin would have never challenged us to a fight, Kakuzu wouldn't have all those cuts, and I wouldn't have nearly killed someone! It's all my fault!" the red head put his head back in his hands, shoulders shaking.

"Sasori..." Deidara put his arm around the red head shoulders again, but the other boy just shoved him away, still not looking at him.

"Please, Deidara, just go away."

"No. Not without you."

"We---I mean, Sasori...Sasori, I'm worried, un! Please, just calm down for me..."

"You're worried? _You_? Meaning you can feel something other than idiotic happiness, huh? Wow, that's amazing! I mean, really----" Sasori hissed, jerking his head up.

Deidara was too close to his face though.

Their lips crashed together, instantly silencing what Sasori was going to say.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** They kissed! Kinda on accident, though, lol.

People took away my laptop, and that is why it was not up any sooner, sorry about that.


	27. Chapter 27

Sasori and Deidara sat in frozen silence for a moment, eyes wide as their brains tried to process what was happening, lips still pressed together. Their bodies had forgotten how to move, their muscles tense and unable to obey their brains.

Then it clicked for Sasori. He was _kissing_ Deidara, his best friend. His face turned a dark red, and he pulled away quickly, slamming his head into the tree behind him, but the pain not registering for him just yet, the shock of what had just happened still going through hid head. What was he _doing_? What the hell had happened?

And why the fuck did he like it so much?

Deidara didn't move, his eyes wide and face pale. Only one thought was going through his head.

_Sasori's lips are so soft...._ Then the blonde snapped back to reality, shaking his head furiously. No, he couldn't think like that....he couldn't have liked that kiss, no, he couldn't...what was going with him, thinking like that?

The two teens stared at each other with wide eyes, their faces slowly reddening. They couldn't speak, and sat there, staring at the other.

"You kissed me, un," Deidara said finally.

"It was an accident!" Sasori protested.

"You still kissed me, un!"

"I just said it was an accident!"

:But-but-but that was my first kiss, un!"

"It was mine, too!" The teens sat and looked at each other, not able to think of anything else to say.

"DEIDARA! SASORI! ARE YOU AROUND HERE?!" The two teens jerked up at the sound of a voice calling their names. Kisame's voice.

"HEY, MORONS, COME ON! YOU NEED TO COME WITH US TO THE FUCKING HOSPITAL!"

Deidara looked back at Sasori, blue eyes wide. Sasori was unable to force down his blush, and his face was nearly as red as his hair.

He couldn't help but think that the blonde had the softest lips he ever felt, and how beautiful he was, looking at Sasori with wide blue eyes, face a brilliant shade of red.

"Wait, Kisame, I see them!" They heard Hidan yell a moment later. Their heads shot up to see the silver haired teen pointing at them, a frown on his face and blood down the front of his shirt. Probably Kakuzu's and Sasori wondered how his friend was doing. He'd have some nasty scars, thanks to those idiotic teens and their dammed knives.

'Sasori, are you alright?" Kisame asked, running up and sitting down next to the red head and the blonde, jerking them from their thoughts.

"Why are you all red, asshole?" Hidan asked, crouching down besides Sasori, narrowing his lavender eyes at the red head. He pushed one hand through his silvery hair, getting the strands out of his face so he could better glare at his friend.

"Uh...Um...He...wait...I mean..." Sasori stammered. Why couldn't he think of anything to say? Had the shock been that much?

"What happened?" asked Kisame.

"I'm not telling, un."

"I don't wanna say either."

"What the the fuck happened?" Hidan asked, flopping to the ground. "Geez, you're blushing so hard, somebody would think you kissed Dei or something."

Deidara gave a very tiny twitch at that, and Sasori looked away and over the clear shining water as his face deepened another shade. Damn that Hidan, he didn't even know it, but he's hit the nail on the head, and it was all Sasori could do to keep from gasping as Hidan carelessly said that.

"What? Why are you turning even redder?" Kisame asked, noticing the looks on Deidara's and Sasori's face.

"What are you not telling us?" Hidan asked suspiciously.

"It's nothing, un..."

"Why do I get the feeling you're not telling us something?"

"Because we're not, un...?" Deidara said quietly, hair falling over his face so they couldn't see the look on his face.

"Alright, what the fuck happened?" Hidan demanded.

"I just said I'm not telling, un."

"I'm not saying either, Hidan."

"What, did you confess your undying love for each other or something, bastards?"

"WHAT THE FUCK, NO, HIDAN!"

"WHAT THE FUCK, UN?!"

"Then why are you fucking yelling at me?"

He had a point. Deidara and Sasori shot each other a glance, then instantly looked away.

Hidan was closer to the truth than either teen cared to admit.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** Oooo...Hidan is so close to the truth but doesn't know it, lol.

This one took FOREVER to write. I must have started it over twenty times, and I'm still not happy with it yet.

But I thought you guys would want this, so here you go, read it and be happy.


	28. Chapter 28

"Why aren't you two fucking speaking to each other?!" Hidan demanded of Sasori and Deidara as they walked up the street, Kisame keeping a hand on the red head shoulder in case he decided to bolt.

"Hidan, just shut up, un!" Deidara snapped, pressing a hand to his forehead as he glared daggers at the albino.

"Why the fucking hell won't you tell me?!" Hidan yelled, spinning around and walking backwards, glaring at Deidara with lavender eyes.

"Geez Hidan, you're getting pissed off really easily," Sasori commented dryly, looking at his friend with amused red eyes. "Does it have anything to do with Kakuzu being in the hospital?"

Hidan stiffed and swung back around, staring dead ahead. Deidara bit back a laugh at Hidan's obvious discomfort. "Of course not, bastard. Shut the fuck up."

"I think he's riiiiight..." Deidara sang teasingly. Hidan stiffened again, and Kisame snorted, and even Sasori was smiling.

"No he's not! SHUT THE FUCKING HELL UP!" Hidan yelled, but it seemed kinda...half hearted, to Sasori at least.

"Hidan, it's okay if you're worried about him," Kisame said consolingly, adjusting his grip on Sasori's elbow.

"I'm not worried!" Hidan yelled at the top of his voice. "Why did hell do you think I give a damn about that bastard?! I'M. NOT. WORRIED."

"Yes you are, un. Kakuzu's your best friend, right?" Deidara asked, smiling, although his face was still slightly pink.

"Well...yeah, he is...but I'm not fucking worried!"

"Denial...."

"Shut the hell up, blondie."

* * *

"Wow, Kakuzu, un..." Deidara whispered, eyes wide as he looked his friend over. "They did a number on you, un."

"That they did," Kakuzu said, smiling. Stitches covered his body and part of his face. Hidan had paled the second he caught sight of his friend and had dashed from the room.

"Do they hurt?" Itachi asked quietly.

"Yeah, kinda. Where's Hidan?" Kakuzu said suddenly, looking around the room, green eyes worried as he saw his friend was missing.

"He went off," Pein said carelessly. "What happened to Kenshin?

"They still don't know if he's gonna live. **Bastard deserves it...**" Zetsu told the auburn haired man.

"Apparently, Sasori's blades just got the edge of his heart," Konan continued. Sasori flinched, and Deidara wrapped his arm around his shoulder in a reassuring way.

"They also don't know if Naoki and two girls, Anzu and Kameko, are going to live either," Itachi finished.

"What did I do to them?" Sasori asked before he could stop himself.

"You nearly cut off Naoki's arm, and you stabbed Kameko in the the stomach, and I believe you got Anzu's throat," Kakuzu said.

Sasori paled again, and his body began to shake. "Great..." he whispered softly. "I nearly killed four people..."

Deidara noticed the look on Sasori's face and the fact that he was shaking. "I think I should take him home now, un," the blonde told the others. Kakuzu was about to protest when he saw Sasori's expression, and merely nodded.

Deidara gently led Sasori out of the room and away from the hospital, and that leering, sickly smell of death and regret that always surrounded it.

* * *

"Sasori, are you fine, un?" Deidara asked, looking to his friend with worried eyes.

"I'm fine, Dei." Sasori's voice was short and cold, and Deidara couldn't help but flinch at the red head's tone, and that cold, dead look in his beautiful red eyes....

Wait, what?

Did he really just think that?

"Sasori, un..." Deidara heard himself whispered softly, and he felt his hand grab Sasori's own. What was he doing? Why couldn't he control himself?

What was he going to do?

"What, brat?" he heard Sasori say, almost distantly it seemed. Deidara had lost all control of his mind and body by this point, and could only watch helplessly.

"I'm sorry for this, un..." the blonde whispered.

Sasori's eyebrows knit together. What was going on with Deidara?

And why was he so close to the red head?

"Dei, what are you---"

And before Deidara could stop himself, he'd lunged towards Sasori, and his lips had met with Sasori's own, his blue eyes shutting as his brain shut down. Sasori's eyes widened as he felt Deidara's lips on his own. Why had Deidara kissed him again?

Except this time, it wasn't on accident. Their second kiss wasn't an accident, like the first had been, although Sasori had liked it, as much as he tried to deny it to himself.

And that was what confused Sasori more than anything.

* * *

**Author's Comments: ** Hidan's in denial.... I like it when they're teasing him about that.

And they kissed again! It's my way of saying sorry for the wait on this.

Gad, I'm freezing. It's like fifty degrees outside right now, and raining, and I'm getting sick again. Someone came to gymnastics with a cold.

Yeah, i hope you like this part.

I need to go find the cough medicine.


	29. Chapter 29

Sasori's eyes widened as Deidara pressed his mouth against him, his blue eyes shut, then the blonde broke away after a moment, his eyes opening and turning on the red head. He took a step back, pushing a hand to his mouth, eyes widening as he realized what he had just done. A blush began running up his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, un," he whispered softly again, letting go of Sasori's hand. Sasori stood there in shock for a moment.

Deidara had just kissed him for a second time. _Deidara_, the most popular boy in school, his best friend, had just kissed him, not just once, but twice.

Well, first time was an accident, but Sasori decided to count it anyway.

They did the blonde kiss him the second time, however?

And why had Sasori enjoyed it?

"Sasori, un..." Sasori shot back to reality with a start. Deidara was watching him, a light blush traveling across his cheeks, his visible blue eye shining with embarrassment. "I don't know what came over me, un. I'm sorry."

Why had he kissed Sasori again? It was like he had lost all control over his body, when he's kissed him, and it felt like he had only been watching that.

Mutely, Sasori shook his head, his hand reaching out and grabbing Deidara's. He had to check, jut to be sure...

"Sasori? What are you..." Deidara's words trailed off as Sasori gently pulled the blonde towards him, and gazed his face for a split second. Then suddenly his lips were on Deidara, and the blonde's arms were wrapped around the red head's neck, Sasori's around the sculptor's waist.

Sasori bit gently on his lower lip, pleading entrance, and Deidara happily let him in. Sasori eagerly explored Deidara's mouth, a minute later they broke apart for air, and they were both panting heavily as they looked at each other, faces blushing all over again.

Sasori smiled at Deidara.

_I guess that answers my question...._ he thought as he pulled the blonde close again and they started walking back to his trailer, his arm around Deidara's waist.

* * *

"Hidan, Kakuzu wants to see you," Tobi said, looking around the janitor's closet. He knew Hidan was in here; it cramped and dark, and Hidan loved small dark areas.

"I don't want to fucking see him," came a muffled voice. Tobi shoved aside a box, tossed aside a few brooms and a couple of paint cans, and found his friend, curled up, his arms wrapped around his legs, and his face buried in his legs. His voice was shaky, so if Tobi had to venture a guess he'd say Hidan had been...crying?

Hidan never cried, for anything. He loved pain, so he laughed when he got hurt, and whenever a tragedy happened, he'd just brush it off and continue with his life.

"Hidan, are you crying?" Tobi asked hesitantly.

"I'm not," Hidan said, his voice muffled by his legs, but Tobi could hear the tremble in it.

"Hidan, it's fine if you are."

"I'm NOT crying!"

"Then show Tobi your face," Tobi ordered softly.

"Why?"

"Because if you're telling the truth like a good boy, then your face will be clear and not wet."

"Tobi, just go away," Hidan muttered, turning his head away from the masked teen.

"Kakuzu really wants to see you, Hidan sempai," Tobi persisted.

"Fine, I'll go. Just wait outside, okay, bastard?" Tobi nodded, getting to his feet and pushing by the boxes and paint cans.

Hidan raised his head when he heard the door click open and shut. He slowly drew his hand across his face and wiped it across his tears. He had been crying, but there was no way in hell he'd ever admit that.

He slowly rose to his feet, trying to control his body from shaking too much. He was scared...Kakuzu looked so different, with all those stitches marring his body and his face.

He didn't like this feeling he got, from seeing Kakuzu like that. Those stupid bastards, doing that to his friend...those scars would never heal, and they could have killed him.

But they hadn't, and while Hidan was grateful for that, he still felt angry and depressed about what had happened.

He gently pushed open the door. Tobi was standing there, watching the door.

"Hidan sempai...were you really not crying?" Tobi asked as they started down the hall towards Kakuzu's room.

"How many fucking times do I have to say it?! I. WASN'T. CRYING." Hidan snapped, picking up the pace and walking ahead of Tobi.

"Tobi was just asking...."

Hidan growled as he pushed open the door, and found himself staring right at Kakuzu.

"Hello, Hidan," Kakuzu said cheerfully.

Hidan couldn't control himself, and he burst into tears.

* * *

**Author's Comments: ** And there's KakuHidan moment, finally!

That should shut some people up; some people have been begging for me to put KakuHidan and KisaIta in here, so I hope you like.


	30. Chapter 30

"Are you crying?!" Kisame asked Hidan, eyes wide.

"I AM NOT!" Hidan screamed, violently rubbing at his eyes.

"Sure looks like it," Itachi said dryly.

"I'm NOT CRYING!" Hidan screamed again, his fist flying out and punching a hole in the wall.

"Calm down, Hidan," Pein ordered, walking slowly towards the zealot, hands up by his head. "Just take a breath and calm down..."

"I AM fucking calm!" Hidan yelled angrily.

"**And that's why you're punching holes in the wall.**" Zetsu commented, smirking at the albino, golden eyes glinting in the light.

"Shut up, you stupid plant!" Hidan ordered.

"Why are you crying?" Konan asked worridly.

"I'm not!:

"Can I talk to him for a moment? Alone?" Kakuzu asked quietly. All heads turned to face their friend, who was watching the albino with blank eyes.

"Oh, um...yeah. Come on, everybody," Pein said after a moment, herding the group out of the room and shutting the door behind him. Hidan stared at the miser for a second, tears still making their way down his pale cheeks.

"Hidan, come here," Kakuzu ordered softly, motioning to a chair by his bed.

Hidan didn't move.

"Hidan, please." Hidan still made no move towards the chair.

"Hidan, I mean it. Come sit." Mutely, Hidan walked over to the chair and pulled it out a bit, listening to the harsh noise it made and wincing.

"Hidan, what's wrong?" Kakuzu asked softly, reaching out with one hand to turn the silver hair teen's face towards him. Hidan bit his lip and averted his eyes. Kakuzu waited a moment, then let out a sigh of frustartion.

"Hidan, come on. Don't be so stubborn."

"I don't like seeing you like this," the silver haired teen whispered, so quietly that Kakuzu almost missed it.

"Seeing me like what?"

"I'm usually the one in the hospital, covered in bandages. But you're here, instead of me..." Hidan's words trailed off. "And it should have been me that got cut up, instead of you, because I would like the pain, and..."

"And what, Hidan?" Kakuzu prompted when Hidan turned his face to the side, not speaking.

"And I don't like seeing you so hurt," Hidan whispered, feeling tears spring to his eyes again. "Kakuzu, I really like you, and I don't want you to get this hurt."

Kakuzu started, then his face relaxed into a smile. "I like you too, Hidan."

Hidan turned his face back to his friend, eyes wide. Then, before he could stop himself, he'd lunged forward, and his lips were on Kakuzu's and the miser was kissing him back.

_Finally..._

_

* * *

_

**Author's Comments: **It's short, but no one will shut up and I have stuff to do, so suffer and deal. It's all KakuHidan this chapter, will get back to main storyline next chapter.

Hope you like, have to go kill something that's scaring my sister.


	31. Chapter 31

"Ugh...I need more fucking sleep..." Hidan muttered, facing face forward to the lunch table, narrowly missing Kisame's sandwich. The gang were sitting at a table, hidden in a corner of the lunchroom, although Deidara's fangirls had secured a nearby table and were watching the blonde with dreamy eyes, hardly noticing what they were eating.

"Well, someone's sleepy," Kakuzu commented, running a hand through his messy hair, then reaching out and grabbing Hidan's collar. Hidan let out a yelp as his air was cut off, and smacked Kakuzu's hand away from his shirt collar.

"I wonder where Sasori is today, un...." Deidara said sadly, watching with clear blue eyes as Hidan began fighting with Kakuzu all over again. Honestly, from the way those two acted, you couldn't tell they were going out at all.

"Oh, he told me where he is," Pein said, picking through his salad with a fork, eying the wilted lettuce with a look of disgust. He picked one of the limp leaves, sniffed, then shut his eyes and shook his head, dropping the veggie back into his bowl and setting his fork down on the table.

"Where did he go?" Itachi asked, grabbing Kisame's cookie and biting into it. Kisame didn't even bother to snap at him, he knew that would just result in pain. Hidan growled at the weasel, noticing the sweet treat in his hand and making a grab for it, jerking his body part way onto the table and spilling Tobi's milk all down his front. Itachi leaned back, away from the zealot's reach, biting into the cookie and grinning as Tobi began ranting at Hidan about his spilled milk, and Zetsu making the zealot go buy another carton for the masked teen.

"Today's the day his mom died, he's taking time off to visit her grave," Konan said, picking up her slice of pizza and biting into it as Hidan walked off, grumbling under his breath as he dug through his pockets, looking for change.

"But-but-but....what if one of Kenshin's cronies get him, un?!" Deidara exclaimed, eyes widening. He arched his back as the thought came to him, but he went too far and fell off the seat onto his back. The entire group stared at him with impassive eyes as he hauled himself up, rubbing at the back of his head, blue eyes squeezed shut. "Owie...that hurt, un..."

The fangirls were watching with horrified eyes, dropping their food to the table, mouths open at the sight of their precious Dei-chan on the floor. One girl had spilled her stew on the floor in her shock, and it was forming a large puddle, the color and consistency not unlike that of vomit.

"Typical Dei," Itachi said in his usual monotone as Deidara scrambled back up to his seat, his face burning, smoothing his hair down, blue eyes flashing at his friends. "And I don't think anyone will be going after Sasori for a long time to come."

"Why do you think that, un?" Deidara asked in confusion, settling himself back down and picking up his fork again, preparing to attack his mac and cheese. A stick of dango lay next to him, and Itachi kept his dark eyes on it as he spoke.

"...Think about it, Dei."

"What, un? I don't understand!" Deidara protested, stabbing a few of the cheesy noodles and placing them in his mouth.

"You really are a natural blonde, aren't you?" Itachi asked, sighing and cupping his forehead in one hand. Kakuzu sighed, Pein rolled his eyes at the blonde, and Itachi merely "hn"ed.

"What those have to do with anything, un?!" the blonde demanded angrily, flipping his bangs away from his other vivid blue eye and glaring at the weasel.

"They're not going to go after Sasori because he nearly killed three people," Kisame explained in a tired voice, rubbing at his eyes in a rather sleepy way.

"Oh...I didn't think of that, un," Deidara said, eyes wide and a perplexed look on his face. You could almost hear his brain going "BOOM" as he thought about it, nodding his head thoughtfully.

"Of course you didn't. And that's why you're repeating Algebra for the third year running."

Deidara sat there, eyes wide as he thought about it. Hidan came back, a whole milk carton in his left hand. He glared at Zetsu as he slammed the drink down onto the table in front of the masked teen, who grabbed it, smiling widely.

"Thank you, Hidan sempai!" He chirped cheerfully, opening it, and raising his mask, bringing the carton to his lips.

"Shut up, crazy," Hidan growled, flopping down besides Kakuzu again and picking up an apple, bringing his teeth down onto the tart skin with a loud crunch. He began chewing it noisily, eyes drifting around until the settled on the still shocked looking blonde. His lavender eyes narrowed, and his lips curved into a smile as he saw the rather silly expression on Deidara's face. "What the fuck is up with Dei?"

"His brain exploded," Itachi said calmly. "And while he's busy being confused, I'm going to steal his dango." He reached across the table and snatched the stick of the sweet soya balls, smiling triumphantly.

"Hey! Share this with me, weasel!"

Deidara's thoughts wandered back to his red haired friend, not paying any attention as Itachi and Hidan began fighting over the sweet treat. The day his mom had died, huh....

* * *

Sasori placed the small bouquet of roses down before the headstone, then sank down to a cross legged position, twisting one of his fingers in the grass as he gazed at the marble stone, flashing white in the bright sunlight.

"Hi mom, it's me," he began, shutting his eyes as he spoke. "It's been another year, hasn't it?"

Silence. It was so much colder by now, the middle of November, so few birds remained. Sasori shivered, feeling the breeze go right through his thin jacket. It was going to snow soon, and it air was chilly with the promise of the upcoming winter.

"I have more friends this year," the red head continued after a moment, opening his red gray eyes once again. "And Kenshin's no longer beating up on me. And I found out that he's my cousin. Why didn't you ever tell me about that?"

Sasori drew in another breath, the cold air refreshing on his lungs. He drew one hand through his unmanageable fiery red hair before continuing.

"I don't really care about him, though. I put him the hospital...actually, I nearly killed him. He was trying to hurt my friends...and I didn't want any of them to get hurt, especially Deidara. He's the first real friend I've ever had..."

Sasori's words trailed off, and he looked down at the ground, plucking a piece of grass and twisting it around his thin fingers. He really hated that Kenshin's friend, that girl, had been holding a knife like that to the blonde's neck. Sasori had found himself wondering what would have happened to Deidara if he hadn't snapped like he had.

Thinking about what could have happened to his friend was too awful, and he had dragged himself away from that by starting an argument with Deidara about art. They had discovered the other's view on it, soon after the fight with Kenshin, and spent much time arguing their thoughts on it.

He really was grateful to Deidara. Thanks to him, life wasn't so dark and depressing anymore, and he cared for his friend more than he had for anyone else, ever.

If only he could tell the dumb blonde how much he cared for him...

* * *

**Author's Comments: ** YES! I managed to get this up!

I think I'm nearing the end of this fic...chapters will be much longer from here on out, just to stop complaints about that. It's not quite done, but I am nearing the end of it, so no killing me about that, k?


	32. Chapter 32

Deidara frowned and slumped down in his hard plastic chair, gaze trained on the window. Sasori wasn't here again, for some reason, and Deidara had finally realized that he really and truly did love the red head.

He was sitting in history, a class he shared with Hidan, Kakuzu and Itachi. The foursome had secured seats near the back of the class, arranged in a small square.

Of course, the Deidara fan club was clumped around in the remaining seats closest to the moody blonde, love sick gazes on him, rather than the slightly plump, wheezing teacher, who was whacking the white board with a stick as he made a point, as though he was in debate rather than teaching.

Deidara frowned again and tugged at his bangs, breathing a loud sigh out through his nose before grumbling in annoyance.

Deidara knew he was acting like Hidan had when Kakuzu was in the hospital; moody, depressed, and about ready to gut anyone foolish enough to speak to him.

Actually, Hidan _had_ tried to gut someone, but that was a whole different matter. Sometime involving a rusty spork, calling Hidan some weird name, and the mention of stitches.

As mentioned before, it was a whole other matter One Deidara preferred not to think about.

Deidara sighed again, eyes glazed over as he thought. Sasori had given no warning as to where he was giving, not even telling Pein anything.

Was something going on....?

And why hadn't Sasori told him anything? They were pretty much officially going out by this point in time, it just made no sense....

Something collided with the side of his head, jerking him back, and the blonde sat up, frowning as he rubbed at the place where it had it.

Whatever _it_ was....

A piece of paper lay on his desk, crumpled into a small, scrunched up ball. Curious, Deidara picked it up to see Kakuzu's neat cursive.

_Are you sulking?_

Deidara frowned again and picked up his pencil, pressing it to the paper.

_Why do you ask?_ He scrawl was rather messy, with many flourishes. He crumpled the note up again and chucked it back in Kakuzu's general direction, before gazing vacantly back at the front of the class, waiting for the miser's reply.

He heard the sound of crinkling paper, a sigh, and something being scribbled down. Then the note hit his head again, only this time he was ready for it. It pulled it open, to find Kakuzu's reply and also a short message from Hidan.

_Well, you just seem kinda...off, is the word, I guess._

_Tell us or fucking die, you dammed blonde! What the fucking hell are you, a chick on her dammed period?!_

Deidara smiled at Hidan's comment before writing back and throwing it back to his friends.

_I said I was fine at lunch, I'm fine now._

The note flew back.

_Oh sure you are. You haven't been fucking moping because someone special isn't here, aren't you, you dammed blondie._

_I agree with Hidan, Deidara. Is it because Sasori's gone and no one knows why?_

Deidara felt his cheeks flush. Was it that obvious...?

_You guys are too observant..._

Hidan's handwriting was getting messier by this point, if that was even possible, and even Kakuzu's didn't look nearly as neat as it always did.

_Fess up, blondie. You're going out with that red haired bastard, aren't you?_

_I'm impressed you figured that out, Hidan. After all, it's not like it's so obvious that the only people that haven't caught on are his fan club._ Kakuzu seemed....amused.

Wait, since when did Kakuzu get amused?

Deidara found himself feeling more cheerful as he tossed the note back, with his reply scrawled on it.

_It's kinda hard to tell you guys are dating, from the way you act, just so you know._

He settled back in his seat, but another note hit him, this on his forehead. Grumbling, he opened it, to see Itachi's neat, precise handwriting looping across the page.

_Deidara, you can stop worrying. I got a phone call from Sasori. Apparently, someone had found his grandma's will or something, he wasn't really clear on that, and he had to go claim some stuff. She died about a year before his mom did; and they had just lost her will until recently._

Deidara found himself wondering how the Uchiha could fit that much writing on one small scrape of paper. He flashed a quick smile at Itachi, who had turned around slightly, watching him with blank black eyes. Itachi smiled back, and faced forward again.

So that's why Sasori wasn't here. His grandmother's will, huh. Deidara momentarily pondered on how someone could have misplaced something like that for over fourteen years. But it made no difference, really. Maybe she had left Sasori something better than the stinking trailer he currently lived in.

Kakuzu's note hit his head again, drawing him back to the real world. The teacher droned on and on, and Deidara inwardly grinned when he knew whatever noise came from opening up Kakuzu's note would be nothing compared to Mr. Nubbin.

_Yes, I do know it's pretty hard to tell. What did Itachi say? _

In answer, Deidara flung the note behind him, and Kakuzu caught it, eyes scanning it, then passing it over to Hidan.

Deidara's fangirls were watching the note exchange with bitter eyes, clearly wanting to get in on the conversation. Hoshi's whole body was twitching, and she was practically foaming at the mouth.

Hidan's note came back. It looked like he'd ripped off a corner of the textbook to write on; the paper was thin and mored delicate than what he had been writing on before.

_Hey, do you think the old bitch left him with a knife? Maybe he'll give it to me!_

Deidara smiled as the bell rang and he got to his feet, prepared to be forced into the crowed, stinking hallways of the school as he headed for the next torture session....er.....class

He really did have the best friends in the world.

And besides....no one in there right minds would trust Hidan with anything sharp.

Sasori would know better than that. Deidara trusted him.

* * *

**Author's Comments:** This chapter took _FOREVER_!

Here's what happened while I was writing it:

I had writers block, then I had more writers block, I got my idea back, lost it thanks to one of my friends, blew up at the laptop when I couldn't get something down the way I wanted it (not the best idea) accidently turned the laptop off before I saved anything, had to freak about that, re write the whole thing, get mad some more, go sulk in a corner when I still couldn't figure out something, finally gave up and posted it.

So I'm not happy with this chappie, and I'm going to go sulk about it or finish my homework.

Probably sulk for a while first.


	33. Chapter 33

RING....RING....RING

Deidara grumbled under his breath as he sat up in bed, grabbing his cell and flipping it open, glancing at the clock as he did so. He groaned.

It was nearly midnight.

He glared back down at the vibrating cell phone in his hands. CALLER ID: ITACHI UCHIHA. ACCPET CALL: YES/NO. The words glowed blue and harsh into Deidara's glazed eyes, and he frown irritably as he hit YES, bringing the phone to his ear.

"Why the hell are you calling me so late, Uchiha?!" he demanded, dropping the "un" in his annoyance.

"Calm down, Dei," Itachi said soothingly. The blonde could hear Hidan's curses from somewhere behind the weasel, and wondered why Hidan was with Itachi at this time of night.

"Calm down?! It's midnight for crying out loud, un!" Deidara whispered harshly. "Now tell me why the hell you called me at this god forsaken hour or I'll hang up on you, un."

"Geez. So much for your cheerfulness," Itachi voice said, broken by static.

"I swear I'm gonna kill you, un."

"How lovely, you sound just like my brother. Now for my news."

"What is it?" Deidara sighed, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand.

"You know how Sasori went on a trip to get some stuff from his grandma's will?"

"Yeah, so, un?" Deidara found his temper wearing thin.

"Well...he just called me."

Deidara felt his heart speed up, and he gripped his phone with both hands. "What'd he say, un?!"

"Uh...that his flight's gonna land in half an hour, he has some stuff for us, and he wants to meet us at the airport and pick him up because he doesn't have a car. Pein's coming by your house in five minutes to pick you up, just so you know."

"What?! FIVE MINUTES?!" Deidara was wide eyed in shock. First he'd been woken up, now he had five minutes to dress and get outside to pick up his boyfriend?!

"If you yell, you're gonna wake up your parents." Deidara heard the smile in Itachi's voice, and Kisame talking in the background. Then the sounds faded to be replaced by beeping.

Deidara stared at his phone for a second.

Then he jumped to his feet and began yanking on clothes, cursing Itachi and his cell phone all the while.

* * *

Sasori frowned as he walked out of the plane, eyes scanning the exhausted crowd for a sign of his friends.

Where were they? If they didn't show up, Sasori would have to pay for a taxi home, and dealing with the demanding drivers and expensive fare was defiantly something Sasori did not want to deal with at this point.

"SASORI DANNA, UN!"

A blonde blur, much like what Hoshi was like when she saw Dei-chan, launched itself out of the crowd and into the Sasori, sending him to the floor.

"Nice to see you too," Sasori grumbled, sitting up with Deidara's long arms wrapped around his neck. "Why did you call me danna?"

"It's a nickname, un!"

"Deidara, off," Pein ordered, striding up and yanking the blonde back by his collar. "Sasori's been operating on a two hour time difference. It feels like 2am for him."

"No, it's fine, Pein," Sasori said, getting to his feet and grabbing his carry on case.

Hidan and Kakuzu strolled over, closely followed by Kisame and Itachi. "Hey bastard!"

"Hello, Hidan."

"Hey...is it true that your grandmom left you with a sword?" Hidan questioned.

"Uh...yeah?"

"Can I have it?"

"No." Kakuzu answered for Sasori. Hidan began pouting.

"Dammit, Kuzu...." the albini whined, turning on the uke look.

"I said no, Hidan."

"Please?"

"No!"

"You're no fun, Kuzu," Hidan pouted.

"Don't call me Kuzu."

"Let's get you home, un..." Deidara said gently, taking Sasori's hand in his own as Hidan and Kakuzu continued to argue. The blonde leaned in towards Sasori and whispered in his ear, his warm breath tickling the red head.

"I really missed you, un."

"I missed you too, Dei," Sasori murmured back, intertwining his fingers with Deidara's. Deidara's smile grew broader.

"But next time, pick a flight that doesn't come in at 12:30, un."

* * *

**Author's Comments: ** I like the beginning of this.

The rest I could have done better.


	34. Chapter 34

"DAMMIT, SORI!" Hidan swore loudly as Sasori drew out the shining sword in front of the silver haired teen. Hidan's eyes were wide as he followed it, watching Sasori swing it through the air once or twice.

"It's pretty," Itachi remarked from Sasori's bed. Hidan whipped around and glared at Itachi. The weasel raised an eyebrow at him. "What is now?"

Hidan jerked a hand over his shoulder at Sasori as the red head sheathed the sword and set it down on his nightstand, next to his alarm clock. "That blade is a work of art!"

"So?"

Hidan growled and threw his hands in the air. "I hate you, you fucking weasel."

"Save it, masochist."

"Better than being a fucking weasel!"

The three of them were sitting in the bedroom of Sasori's trailer. He was moving into a apartment within a week, and the two had come over to help him pack up. Everyone else was busy; Kakuzu had to help his father with their taxes, Zetsu and Tobi off terrorizing tourists and the like, Deidara had housework, plus Hoshi had asked him to make yet another bomb for her (she hadn't quite realized Sasori and her darling Dei-chan were together, or at least refused to accept it), Pein and Konan were plotting something involving French maid outfits and Hidan and Itachi. Preferably making them wear them to school. Usual stuff. Normal stuff for their group.

"Oi, where does this go?" Itachi asked, holding up Sasori's alarm clock. The red head gave the cloak a look of death. He hated that thing with a passion, and was grateful that his grandmom had left him enough money so he could pay for an apartment and maybe a better clock. One that didn't beep like his current one did.

"Smash that evil thing."

"Oo! Let me!" Hidan said excitedly, snatching the now doomed clock from Itachi, setting it on the floor and grabbing the sledge hammer which Sasori just happened to have in his room. An insane look coming over the silver haired teen's face as he swung the hammer down, right on the cloak. Itachi and Sasori watched in mild interest as they watched Hidan bring down the hammer a few more times, reducing Sasori's hated clock to a bunch of wires and springs.

:Now I'm tired," Hidan announced, dropping the hammer to the floor, nearly hitting his foot with it, barely missing, and flopping down on Sasori's bed, next to Itachi, running his hands through his silvery hair.

"Hey...we have sex ed. next week, right?" Sasori asked after a moment.

"Yeah, so? Most boring time of the year. The teachers leave out all the fucking good parts," Hidan muttered.

"I don't see why they make us do it still. We learned this all in middle school, thanks to that sex ed," Itachi continued, shutting his eyes.

"Uh..." Sasori looked away, his face red.

Itachi opened his eyes and saw the look on his friend's face. "What is it Sasori?"

"Well, I never got to go to the sex ed class, because the day they had it on was the day of my mom's funeral and so..." Sasori's voice trailed off, and he looked down at the ground.

When the red head looked back up, he saw Hidan and Itachi grinning evil smiles at him, instantly making him nervous. "What?"

"Shall we teach him ourselves?" Itachi asked the Jashinist, completely ignoring Sasori's question. Hidan grinned, showing all of his pearly white.

"Hell yeah. I have a box of slides in my car just for this purpose. And my laptop."

"This will be as good as when we taught Deidara what PSM-ing is," Itachi smiled. Sasori's eyes widened as the two teens began cracking up, Hidan falling to the floor and whacking the hard surface with his hands curled into fists, Itachi falling backwards onto the covers of Sasori's bed

"What are you planning to do?" The red head asked suspiciously, crossing his arms over his chest.

Hidan grinned up at him, eyes alight with evil intentions. The same were mirrored in Itachi's black, black eyes. "Get you up to date on sex ed."

--- Half an hour and several nosebleeds, videos on YouTube and laughter on Itachi's and Hidan's part later ---

Sasori was bright red, the color clashing nicely with his hair. Itachi and Hidan had just given him a lovely speech of hard core yaoi, using videos on YouTube and pictures from Google, and the red head was now scarred for life."How the fucking hell do you know all that?!" he demanded of Itachi. Hidan giggled as he slammed the lid of his laptop shut, storing it back in his bag and zipping it shut. Sasori glared at him, and the silver haired teen only laughed harder, tears leaking from the corner of his eyes, and he wiped them away.

"Oh right, I never told you guys," Itachi said thoughtfully, tapping a finger against his lips as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Never fucking told us what?" Hidan asked, stopping his laugh mid breath and turning his lavender eyes on the Uchiha.

The weasel grinned, picking up a bloody tissue from the floor. "Kisame asked me out the day you confessed your love to Kakuzu, Hidan."

"What?! That was like five weeks ago!" Hidan yelled, eyes wide.

"Uh, no, it was only three," Sasori interrupted. But still, Itachi and Kisame? Sasori never would have guess they'd be together. Well, maybe he would, seeing how much Kisame and Itachi were together, and how much the shark held the Uchiha.

"Shut it, puppet boy.," Hidan snapped, narrowing his eyes, but it was ruined by his smile.

Sasori gulped. "So I take it you and Kisame have....done it, then?" he asked slowly, not really wanting an answer after all those disturbing images the two teens had exposed him to.

Itachi nodded, still smiling.

"Me and Kuzu have too!" Hidan said happily. "That just leaves you and Dei. Have you, yet?"

"Uh..."

"Hidan, he didn't know half this shit until like five minutes ago," Itachi frowned at the Jashinist. "Of course they haven't yet."

"You guys are major pervs," Sasori said weakly, red faced. His voice was weak. Damn, these guys were sharp, and the images they had given him..... Yeah, he knew that Kakuzu and Hidan were together, but Kisame and Itachi? And they had done it?

Itachi and Hidan turned to him, eyes alight with evil. "Oh yes we are. Now let's go see some more videos!"

"Oh god, no."

"Shut your mouth about god around me, puppet boy. Ooo...this looks good!"

* * *

**Author's Comments: ** Last year, my friends took away my laptop and made me watch like nineteen different yaoi videos.

SO that's how I know what I do about yaoi, thanks to Tsubaki and Ayumi.

And that's what inspired this chappie.


	35. Chapter 35

"What are we doing next year?" Pein asked, ignoring the hot dog he held in one hand and looking around the table at his friends. The group was sitting at their usual table, Deidara's fangirls ogling the blonde from a table three tables away.

Deidara looked up from his conversation with his boyfriend and Hidan, his mouth crammed full of pizza, blue eyes wide. "Fzah?" he asked around his mouthful, trying to speak clearly through his food.

Sasori rolled his eyes and whacked the blonde lightly on the back of his head. "Dei, swallow before you talk."

Deidara held up one finger to Pein, turning away and quickly chewing on his food before swallowing it and turning back. "Sorry about that, danna, un," he said sheepishly, looking at the red head, who merely raised an eyebrow at him. Hidan began laughing at the look on the blonde's face, before akuzu whacked the back of his head and sent him slamming down into the table top, prompting laughter from the others.

"Nice, Hidan, un," Deidara choked out. Hidan sat up, his face burning a bright red, eyes narrowed at the blonde.

"It's not fucking funny," he growled, running a hand through his hair, trying to smooth it down.

"Yes it was," Itachi grinned.

"Shut the fuck up, weasel boy."

"Can I continue?" Pein asked, setting his hot dog down and drumming his fingers against the smooth table.

"Sure," Kisame responded, wiping at his eyes as tears of laughter trickled down his face.

"Anyway, we're all seniors, aren't we?" Pein asked, looking around the table again, continuing to drum his fingers on the table. Konan frowned at him and lightly pressed her hand against his, stopping the noise.

"Yeah, we are," Hidan said, looking rather surprised, like he'd just realized that fact.

"And it's December, going on January, right? What are we doing next year? College, working, traveling..."

Silence for a moment as everyone began thinking, looking thoughtful.

"Well, Kisame and I plan on going to college," Itachi said finally, looking back up. Kisame nodded beside him.

"Where do you want to go?" Sasori asked the weasel. "For college, I mean."

"Yale," the Uchiha said, picking up his fork and picking through his salad.

"Doesn't your dad want you to go to Harvard?" Konan cut in, looking at her friends. Itachi gave her a small smile before continuing to speak, leaning slightly against Kisame, who ran a hand through the Uchiha's dark hair, smiling down at him.

"Well, that won't be a problem. My dad kicked me out. He's giving me some amount of money so I don't ever bother him again."

Konan jerked back. "Why?!"

"Oh, apparently my dad doesn't really like homosexuals. And he found out that Sasuke is dating Nauto," Itachi said, dropping his fork, looking around his shocked and silent friends, who were watching him with wide eyes. "What?"

"You're fucking kidding me. Your dammed brother and that idiot? That blonde's even dumber than Deidara!"

"HEY!"

Hidan grinned wickedly at his friend, showing all of his teeth. "Just telling it as it is, blondie. Just telling it like it is."

"But that's just mean, un!" Deidara cried.

"So? It's the truth, and you fucking---"

"Well, anyway, my dad was freaking out at Sasuke, and he looked like he was going to hit him. So then I cut in and told him I was also dating my best friend. He threw me and Sasuke out, so now Sasuke's living with Naruto and I'm living with Kisame," Itachi cut in, drawing in a deep breath. Hidan glared at him for interrupting him, but leaned back and fell silent anyway, Deidara glaring at him over the table, blue eyes narrowed.

"Wow..." Sasori whispered. Itachi smiled at him.

"It doesn't really matter. Sasuke and I would have left soon enough."

"So Itachi and Kisame want to go to Yale. What is everyone else doing?" Pein asked again.

"Hidan and I were planning on finding work once we're done with school," Kakuzu said. Hidan grinned up at the miser as he nodded.

"Zetsu and Tobi are going on a trip!" Tobi crowed, spreading his arms apart as he stood up, clearly excited about the prospect of going somewhere with his best friend. Zetsu smacked the masked teen on the back of the head and grabbed his shirt collar, forcing the teen to sit down on the chair next to him. Tobi grinned at him behind his mask, before grabbing his milk carton and lifting up his mask just enough so he could drink it.

"You two?" Kisame asked, looking at Sasori and Deidara. Sasori shot his boyfriend a look, then began talking.

"I think Dei and I are going on to college. I can pay the tuition now, after all, thanks to my dear dead granny."

"Do you know we're going?" Kakuzu asked, looking at his friends. Sasori shrugged and shook his head, Deidara also shaking his head, blonde hair whipping into his face.

"We should look into it, though, Dei."

Deidara flashed him a smile. "Doesn't matter, so long as I'm with you, un," the blonde whispered to the red head, who grinned back at him.

"My....my....Dei-chan...." a voice said from behind them, broken and weak. Deidara rolled his eyes before turning around to face Hoshi. She had dyed her hair, and now it was red, bright red. She was dressed in a green and blue dress, the shoulder straps meeting on her back, the collar lower cut than should be allowed in school.

"Yes, un?"

Hoshi looked at the blonde, her eyes filling with tears. "My Dei-chan...is gay?" she asked sadly, her voice cracking as she spoke. Deidara snorted.

"No, I'm straight, un. I'm just testing my boundaries, un," he said sarcastically.

Hoshi brightened up, her face lighting up as a smile creased it. "Really?!"

"No. Yes, Hoshi, Sasori is my boyfriend. And no, I'm bi, not gay." Hoshi's face fell, before taking on a determined look. She flipped her now bright red hair over one revealed shoulder, her eyes alight with something.

"I will never give up! Someday, I will win my Dei-chan's heart!" she declared, pumping her fist in the air before walking off, everyone staring after her with wide eyes as she made her way back to her usual lunch table.

"And what the fuck was that?" Hidan asked finally, his lavender eyes huge as he stared after the girl, a strand of silver hair dangling into his face, which he swiped at irritably with one long, thin hand.

"I think Hoshi just realized the truth," Konan said, a smile making it's way across hr face. "Dei, are you really bi?"

"No, un," Deidara replied, smiling. "Just didn't want Hoshi to go into a sob fest right now, un."

"Good plan, mi boy. Good plan," Pein grinned at the blonde, clapping his hands together. "Konan and I are going to the local college, just so you know."

"Weird....we're going to leave this fucking dump," Hidan said thoughtfully, looking around the cafeteria.

"I'M looking forward to it," Sasori said, leaning back. "No more Kenshin. No more Naoki. No more beatings."

"We're never letting someone hurt you like that again, un," Deidara whispered to him, leaning towards him and kissing the red head on the lips.

"Don't let Hoshi see that, she'll fucking freak out."

"Shut up, Hidan."

* * *

**Author's Comments: ** The series is drawing to a close! I'm writing the last part, then the epiloge.

Kenshin shall make his final apperance, next chapter. And then you can all kill him.

And Hoshi the dummy finally figured it out.


	36. Chapter 36

Kenshin's arm shot out and hit the wall just next to Sasori. The red head turned to face his cousin, a bored look on his face, Deidara wrapping one arm around his shoulders. "What is it, Kenshin?" he asked, red eyes bored.

Kenshin grinned evilly at him. His shirt collar was slightly open, and Deidara and Sasori could see the edges of the scar marring his torso. "So the little gingy is a fag, huh?"

Sasori's eyes twitched. "What of it, you little bastard?" he asked, slowly passing his books to his boyfriend, who took them without a word, but with a smile. He knew what was coming.

"I called you a fag." People were stopping in the halls to watch by this point; it was clear Kenshin loved the attention, as he continued to speak, growing more confidant with every word he said. "Have you screwed your little boyfriend yet, my dear cousin?"

Gasps from the crowd, along with loud yells at Kenshin's words. Sasori's eyes twitched again.

"My dear bastard, I don't think I need to tell you that," Sasori said smoothly.

"Whatcha gonna do about it, fag?" Kenshin asked, hands on his hips. Sasori grinned and turned to the blonde.

"Deidara, give me a bomb."

Deidara grinned wider and dug through his pockets, searching for something, before tossing the small sculpture to Sasori, who caught it and held it up to the light, ignoring the confused look on Kenshin's face. "Now, Kenshin, I've already beaten the crap out of you once haven't I?" the red head asked, still not looking at his cousin.

Kenshin growled at him, not wanting to admit that he had lost, badly, to the person he had spent years beating up on. "Your point, gingy?"

"Well...I can always do that again. And I'm perfectly willing to," Sasori threw the clay bomb up in the air and caught it, looking at his cousin. "But, it was because of your stupid fight with my friends that Dei and I hooked up, so maybe I should go easy on you. Maybe."

Kenshin laughed, throwing his head back, Sasori watching him, eyes narrowing all the while, mouth a grim line. "Wow, some thanks. I helped another homo couple get together, how touching. Makes me sick. How some little gay freak like you can be my cousin is beyond me. Especially with a blonde moron like that."

Sasori's hand shot forward and gripped Kenshin's next, throwing him back against the lockers, much like what Deidara had done to Kenshin in the hospital, so very long ago. Sasori glared at his cousin, red eyes narrowed and surprisingly cold, still holding onto the bomb with one hand.

"Look, Kenshin, I get it. You hate me. Guess what? I hate you right back. Insult me all you want, but you don't say _anything_ against my Deidara. You got that?"

Kenshin shook his head and spat in the red head's face. "Gay freak," he choked out, grasping Sasori's wrist. "You and all your little gay friends can burn in hell, which is where you're going to go, at this rate."

Sasori wiped away the spit, fury taking over his face. "Dei, come on. We need Tobi, a box of soda, Hidan, and sixteen swords." He paused. "Oh, and Kenshin, if I'm going to hell, just for being gay, you're going somewhere much, much worse," the red head hissed, tightening his grip and causing Kenshin to yelp in pain.

"Yay! Danna, this will be fun, un!" Deidara crowed happily, pushing by the people surrounding them, Sasori following just behind him, his hand still wrapped around Kenshin's neck.

"That it will be, Dei. That it will."

* * *

"Well, I don't think he'll be bothering you for a while, Sori," Hidan said finally, dropping his knife, Deidara, Kakuzu and Tobi nodding in agreement. Since they were in school, they didn't actually hurt the other teen, they just scared him shitless, and now he was curled up in a corner, mumbling something they couldn't quite hear, eyes darting around the room, looking for an exit. Kakuzu and Hidan began poking him, just to see if the teen was still alive, Tobi running around singing about rainbow and little angels sitting on pink clouds.

"Yeah, un." Deidara said happily as they heard Kenshin help and try to dart away from their Jashinist friend. "Life is good now, huh, danna, un?"

Sasori smiled tenderly at the blonde. "Deidara, life was good from the moment I met you."

* * *

**Author's Comments: ** Yes, I'm done with Kenshin. Go ahead and kill him.

*throws Kenshin to angry mob, then sits back*

The yells of dying teens are music to my ears.


	37. Epilogue

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ six years later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Meh...Deidara, what classes do we have today?" Sasori asked, sitting down heavily at their table, Deidara looking up at him from a seat across from the red head's, folding up the newspaper he had been reading and setting it to the side. The blonde and red head now lived together, in an apartment less than a mile from the college they now attended.

"Usual, un. We need to leave in a hour or so to be on time. When are we going to that art show, danna, un?" Deidara asked, biting into his toast, spread with honey and chewing loudly. On Deidara's hand sparkled a ring, a thin golden band set with sapphires. Sasori had proposed to him a few months ago, and the blonde of course had accepted. They were waiting for their friends to come out and visit them before they got married.

"It's next week. Did we get another letter from Hidan and Kakuzu yet?" Sasori asked, brushing his hair out of his tired eyes. Deidara picked something off the table and waved it in the air. It was two sheets of paper, one covered with Kakuzu's next handwriting and the other with Hidan's messy scrawl.

"What's up with them?" the Akasuna asked his fiancée, curious to know what his friends were doing now. Hidan was now working odd jobs, Kakuzu full time at the local bank, and doing pretty well at it, while Hidan managed to cause trouble at least once a week.

"Oh, Hidan blew up something in the restaurant, so they fired him, un. Kakuzu's getting another promotion, and Hidan nearly broke his leg by jumping out of a nine story building window. The usual, un."

"What about Kisame and Itachi?"

Deidara grinned at the red head. "About that...Kisame just proposed to Itachi,un. They're engaged, just like us."

Sasori leaned back, chewing on his piece of bread thoughtfully. "Konan and Pein are married, we're engaged, Kisame and Itachi are engaged...that just leaves Kakuzu, Hidan, Tobi and Zetsu."

"Oh, also, Sasuke, Itachi's brother, is getting married to his boyfriends, un," Deidara cut in. Sasori smiled up at him.

'Well, we all knew that would happen, Dei," he replied, digging his fingers through his thick crimson hair, dropping the crust from his toast back on the table. "Have you heard from your little girlfriends lately?" Sasori had talked to Deidara's friends more, and he found them interesting, just the way they clung to Deidara was a little...disturbing.

Deidara grinned. "Yeah, un. Sakura's dating Rock Lee, and Ino's getting hooked to Choji. Temari's with Shikamaru, and Hinata finally got asked out by Kiba, un," the blonde said, counting off on his fingers.

"You are friends with like every girl in school. What of Hoshi?"

"Hoshi met some guy named Kabuto, un."

"She finally gave up on you then?" Sasori asked, looking into the blonde's clear blue eyes.

"Yeah, finally, un," Deidara grinned, flipping his unbrushed and tangled hair over one shoulder.

Sasori smiled and leaned forward. "And what of Kenshin?"

"He just got admitted to the asylum. Something about rabid yaoi fangirls trying to kill him, un."

"Sounds like life is going good for everyone. Now come here, I want a kiss."

Deidara smiled as he walked over, wrapping his arms around Sasori's neck and bringing his lips to Sasori's own as their small apartment filled with birdsong, cool air and morning sunshine, the light as bright as their future.

* * *

**Author's Comments: ** The whole time I was writing this I was thinking "wow, this is so cheesy."

There's a reference to you in there.

But I'm done! Finally!

...

Now I have to go finish work on all my other things.

Oh yeah, drew a lovely picture of what she wanted to do to Kenshin. Check it out!


	38. Side Story: Hot Topic

"Hey, Tobi, hurry up!" Hidan called one had on his hip, the other raised by his mouth as he yelled.

Tobi didn't answer. He was studying the front window of a shop, his lips pursed and eyebrows together behind his mask. He tapped his foot on the sidewalk as he thought, ignoring Hidan.

"Oye, you dork!" Tobi jerked his head up. Hidan was giving the teen the death glare, but Tobi didn't care. He waved Hidan over, jerking his hand towards the store he was in front. Hidan growled loud enough for Tobi to hear, even though he was more than ten feet away from the silver haired teen, but complied and walked over.

"What the fucking hell is it now?" the albino demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and paying absolutely no attention to the shop, a remarkable feat because the store was playing heavy metal that was causing parents to cross the street with their children and little old grannies to mutter about the good old days when no one in their right minds would listen to such awful noise.

"Hidan sempai, what shop is this?" Tobi asked, pointing at the shop and the many, may people milling around inside it, pulling jeans and shirt off the shelves and holding them up to the light. Hidan shot him a confused look, silver eyes wide.

"Can't you read the name?" he asked in confusion, running a hand through his silvery, shining hair.

"Well, it's written in swirly writing, and Tobi can't read that kind of writing very well yet, so no, Tobi can't, Hidan sempai," Tobi said cheerfully, turning his eyes on his albino friend.

Hidan gave him a "look". His lavender eyes were narrowed, his mouth pursed and his thin, delicate eyebrows were drawn together. His head was cocked to the side, his silver hair falling over one of his pale, thin shoulders.

"What is it, Hidan sempai?" Tobi asked.

"You're a fucking idiot," Hidan said brusquely, turning back to the shop. "This is Hot Topic."

"Ooo! Ooo! Itachi sempai's favorite shop, right?" Tobi asked, jumping up and down. Hidan rolled his eyes at the excited teen.

"Yes, it's that bastard's favorite shop. Now come on, the others are gonna fucking leave us," Hidan growled, grabbing Tobi's arm and dragging the teen away from the shop.

As the albino dragged him behind him, yelling at Kakuzu to slow the fuck down, Tobi's tiny brain began formulating a evil plan.

* * *

"Kukukukuku....." Tobi cackled to himself as he picked open the back door. He had already silenced the alarm; he knew nothing would bother him from his task.

He smiled as he pushed the door open, entering the quiet and dark store. It looked so different at night....He twisted around and grabbed his red wagon, pulling it inside and setting one of the many plastic washtubs on the floor. He straighten, and began digging through his wagon, muttering under his breath all the while.

"Where did Tobi put it....ah ha!' he triumphantly held up a small ziploc bag, which was full of packages of various colors of dye. Humming to himself, Tobi opened the bag, digging blindly through it until he'd grabbed one, pulling it out and ripping it open. He dumped the powder in the tube, then grabbed one of his many, many water bottles.

Tobi quickly unscrewed the cap and let it fall to the floor. He dumped the water in the tub, setting his water bottle down and grabbing a stick. He began to stir the two together as his red and black eyes scanned the shop.

"What should Tobi start with....."

* * *

Hidan grumbled as he tripped a pair of jeans lying in the hallway of his small apartment. Hidan lived on his own, at the far reaches of town in a small but nice apartment complex.

His parents had disowned him years ago, and Hidan had been his own ever since. He was used to it though. At least his dear daddy sent money every week, to keep him out of his life if nothing.

He was dressed, and meeting up with his friends in less than twenty minutes, so the albino to skip breakfast and just buy something downtown.

Sighing, he opened his apartment door, shutting it behind him and locking it shut. He ran a hand through his hair as he stumbled towards the stairwell.

Opening the main door, Hidan blinked hard as his eyes tried to adjust to the sudden change in lighting. The silver haired teen placed one hand over his eyes as they adjusted, squinting and grumbling under his breath.

The teen started off for downtown at a brisk pace, which soon broke into a jog.

* * *

"Oi, Hidan!" A voice called. Hidan looked up to see Kakuzu waving at him, a newspaper in one hand. Hidan smiled briefly as he walked over to his friend.

"What's up, Kuzu?" he asked, snagging the newspaper from the miser.

"Don't call me Kuzu. And who said you could take my newspaper?"

"I did. Where are all the other bastards?" Hidan asked, eyes scanning the front page.

"They're not here yet, Hidan," the miser replied, shaking his black hair out of his eyes. "Give that back."

"Neh, don't feel like it," Hidan muttered absently, flipping the page over. All of a sudden, his eyes grew wide. Kakuzu noticed this, and frowned at his friend.

"What is it?"

Hidan shook his head, eyes still wide. His mouth was dropped open in his shock. "He did _not_...."

"Who did not do what?" Kakuzu asked, grabbing the paper back from Hidan and looking down at the article his friend had been reading.

HOT TOPIC BROKEN INTO; CLOTHING RUINED it read. Underneath the headline and story, there were a few pictures of the ruined clothes, dyed shocking shades of hot pink, vivid orange, light lavender, electric blue and lime green. The holes on the clothes had been sewed back up, the ripped hems fixed. Even the belts and gloves had been dyed.

"Wait...Hidan, do you know who did this?" Kakuzu asked, looking back up at his still shocked friend. At the sound of his name, Hidan jerked his head up and gave Kakuzu a bemused look

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, smirking.

"Uh...no?"

Hidan laughed before replying, "It was Tobi!"

"How can you tell that?" Kakuzu asked, folding the newspaper up.

"Because look," Hidan said, grabbing the paper back and flipping it open. "Tobi's favorite colors are orange and pink, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, the majority of the clothing is fucking dyed either pink or orange. And if you actually read the dammed article, you'll see that they say that the store's cameras picked up images of a bastard with black hair and and dammed orange mask."

Hidan smiled triumphantly as he folded the paper back up and handed it back to a bemused Kakuzu. The miser took it without a word.

"So let me get this straight," the banker said finally. Hidan raised an eyebrow at him, but let him continue.

"So Tobi broke into Hot Topic."

"Correct," Hidan said, grinning.

"And he dyed the clothes."

"Correct."

"And now Tobi's probably gonna get sued for all that ruined property."

"Hell yeah. But more importantly, he should worry about that dammed bastard Itachi."

"Why?" Kakuzu asked, confused. Hidan grinned at him, teeth flashing in the bright sunlight.

"Simple. Hot Topic's that weasel's favorite store."

* * *

**Author's Comments: ** I'm so spamming you now.

Yes, this is the story of how Tobi got banned from Hot Topic. Usagi and I wanted to write it out, so here it is.

Please do not try to understand how my brain works, it will make your own go boom.


End file.
